All The King's Men
by backwardsaile
Summary: Long has the Fifth Kingdom, the Britannian Empire, been an isolationist among its peers. Long have the Kingdoms tried to establish contact. Now, in lieu of the Vytal Festival, Britannia sends a team of its best to compete as a show of cooperation. But how will the story of RWBY be affected by the new players? Are their motives as pure as they seem? (I'm terrible at summaries)
1. Prologue

Uploaded: 19/12/2019

As the sun rose over the waters of Vale, a freight vessel came into the harbour and docked, belonging to a salty sea dog named Ahab. With hefty 'heave-ho's, his crew got to work lowering their international goods for transport. But as they strived to do so, the door leading below deck swung open and out stepped a young man, in a uniform unbefitting of his situation and carrying a simple brown duffle bag.

He looked to be around 16 years old, with a brown mop of hair, purple eyes and was dressed in a black, double-breasted gakuran with golden trim and a silver collar pin, which looked like a heraldic lion holding a sword. On his left shoulder, the sleeve of his uniform was silver, the heraldic beast embroidered in jet black. As he stepped onto the deck, he took a look around and surveyed his surroundings.

The stench of fish hung heavy in the air and his nose perked up as it caught a whiff. He quickly recoiled in disgust, so much that his extrahumanly features made themselves known. A pair of round, grey, feline ears flicked up in a knee-jerk response, disgust evident.

'Ugh. Keep it together Rolo! 10 seconds onto a Valian soil and you already lose focus! Remember, deep breaths. Big Brother is counting on you.' He exhaled, letting his tension go.

'At least you made it. Now, all you need to do is-'

He was brought out of his mental musings by Ahab, who clapped the scrawny boy on his shoulder and loosed a deep, throaty laugh.

"Well boy, I 'ad me doubts with yer size and all but after seeing what you did to those kelpies? Whoo! Absolutely amazin!"

"It was nothing, Mr Ahab!" squeaked the boy. "I was only doing what was needed!"

At his reply, the captain deflated, his previous expression of joy replaced by one of just irritation.

"How many times do I 'ave to tell ye!? It's CAPTAIN Ahab. Not "Mister", not "Sir" and certainly not that prissy "Lord" crap! IT'S CAPTAIN YE HEAR ME?!" screamed the sailor as he shook the boy by his collar, spittle spraying like sea mist.

"y-y-y-y-YES CAPTAIN!" stammered the boy. Satisfied, the captain released Rolo, and with a sigh, remarked, "Good ta see at least one of the lessons I taught you is stuck in there."

"NOW, where was I? Ah yes, after seeing what you can do, are you sure you don't want to become a part of the crew? It pays well, is a stable job and you get a family too."

With a comforting smile, Rolo calmly replied, "Like I've told you before captain, as nice as it sounds, my duty is to defend my people and country first from the Grimm. So I'm sorry but the answer is still no." At that, the old sailor seemed to wilt, his bushy grey beard apparently...losing colour?

"It's such a waste though" the captain sulked. Rolo could not help but gawk at the grizzled seafarer. Was he pouting?

"HOWEVER" the schoolboy interjected. "When I become a full-fledged Huntsman, I'll keep an eye out for any escort missions assigned to a vessel called the 'Pequod'. It's the least I could do after all you've done for me, letting me join you for a month onboard your ship and all."

At that, Ahab's face brightened up. "HA! I'll hold you to that boy!", he exclaimed as he delivered another clap to Rolo's back, making the boy stumble.

As he straightened himself out, Rolo cleared his throat and said to the sailor, "Well captain, I'm afraid that we have to part ways from here. Can't be late with my meeting after all."

With a huff, the captain replied, "Yes, well, off you go then boy. My best of luck to ye! I hope to see you back on this ship in a few years time!" With a wave, the captain turned back to supervise his crew while Rolo walked down the gangplank, down the pier and onto the pavement to hail a taxi.

'Thank goodness it's early morning' sighed Rolo inwardly as a yellow cab pulled up in front of him. As he stepped into the car, the driver questioned with a gruff voice, "Where to, kid?", squinting through the mirror.

"Um, the bullhead docks please!". With a nod and a brief "alright", the taxi drove down to its destination, Rolo looked out the window and took in the sights as downtown Vale as shops and cafes opened, the city beginning to stir itself awake.

'It really is like they say huh? Even though you've seen it in books and postcards, it can never compare to seeing it in person' Rolo thought to himself. With a deep breath, he focused on the task at hand. 'Right, now all I need to do is just go meet with-'

**-Beacon Tower-**

"-Headmaster Ozpin, it's a pleasure to finally meet you" greeted Rolo. He would've liked to marvel at the clock tower's architecture, from its gigantic gears to the clear view of the courtyard it gave from on high. But he was currently focused on the man in front of him.

"Hello, young man. You must be Rolo Lamperouge correct? Of the diplomatic effort?" questioned the Professor.

"Yes sir" replied Rolo.

"Aren't you supposed to be with your team? Surely it can only function at its best with all four members present?" prodded Ozpin. The boy seemed harmless but trickery, which he did not personally frown upon, was something that was always considered ever since Amber was ambushed. They had to be on guard. With a relatively unknown nation and **that woman** gathering pawns, he could not afford to overlook people.

"Unfortunately sir, my team were caught up in an assignment after a training exercise in one of the shared islands, one deemed too risky for my lack of experience. Seeing as to how they would be behind schedule with the mission, they decided to send me ahead to ensure that the diplomatic mission arrived punctually, if only somewhat. I send their regards and have the official treaty between Vale and Britannia, ensuring bilateral ties for the next few years." said Rolo. He had been practising his lines for a week!

"And you came in on a freighter?" questioned Glynda Goodwitch. She was the vice headmistress and a stern woman, her riding crop wielded with such dexterity that it promised pain to all who defied her, her towering height of 6 foot adding to her terrifying demeanour. At the moment she stood to Ozpin's right. She studied the boy with suspicion as Ozpin received the agreement for later presentation to the council.

Rolo gulped as he fought himself to stay standing under her gaze. "They thought it best for me to experience maritime travel by myself whilst doing the mission. It was a two birds-one stone mindset." With a huff, Glynda begrudgingly nodded, accepting his otherwise shaky reasoning.

"Nonetheless, I am glad that you have arrived safely and am happy to invite you to enjoy Beacon's facilities. I must say, young man, you are making a good first impression for your country. Just in time too. With huntsmen students gathering for the Vytal Festival and the school dance just this weekend, all the kingdoms' youth will be on display. So, keep it up!" encouraged Ozpin. Rolo blushed at the praise and stammered, "Th-thank you, sir!".

With a light chuckle, the Professor sipped his drink before speaking. "Now, now, Mr Lamperouge, no need to be so tense. Despite the tumultuous ties between the Kingdoms currently, I can assure you that you will not be harmed outside of sparring sessions and the festival itself. You have my word."

Ozpin smiled as the boy deflated, his previous tensions, fear and nervousness now gone. "Thank you for the kind words sir," replied Rolo.

" 'Tis no problem in the slightest young man. Now I think you should get some rest. Try our guest dormitories. I assure you that you will sleep better than on a ship" said Ozpin with a wry smile.

"Thank you sir. I'll take my leave. Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch." Rolo bowed to each of them before he made his way to the lift. With a soft *ding* the doors slid open, the Britannian stepping in and pressing the ground floor button. As they closed, Ozpin shouted, "Do remember that guest lodgings are in the eastern wing of the school!"

"Thank you!" shouted back Rolo as the doors shut.

As the lift descended, Ozpin let a smirk crawl onto his face. "Professor, are you sure about this? The boy can't be trusted!" protested Professor Goodwitch.

"I know Glynda, but please you must understand that his homeland's participation in the tournament is one step closer to gaining their trust and by doing so, another ally against the Queen. For the sake of peace, please treat him and his comrades as any other visiting student. We must show our trust in them for them to trust us." explained Ozpin.

With a slump of her shoulders a "Yes, Professor" ground itself out. Ozpin only smiled and replied, "I know it is difficult but we can pull through this Glynda. Now, please do have some breakfast and get some rest. I can see you wilting from the all-night marking." chuckled Ozpin.

As his vice headmistress dragged herself to the elevator, his eyes narrowed. 'I know your game, boy, for I have played it thousands of times myself. I will be nice for peace's sake but take one step against my home or my students and you will know pain' thought Ozpin as he swivelled out to face the window. The students seemed to be doing fine. Especially Teams RWBY and JNPR. He was sure that with Britannians involved, the tournament would be exciting, to say the least.

**-Meanwhile, with Rolo-**

Rolo took several deep breaths as he tried to calm himself. Ozpin was every bit as scary as Lelouch said! After he steadied his racing heart, he pulled out a tiny flashdrive from his breast pocket. A simple, sleek black stick with a tiny cartridge of a fire-electric dust blend placed inside.

Staring at the bit of plastic, he recited in his head 'Stage 1 is complete. Stage 2, Cleaning Service, is go.' As he inserted it back into his school uniform, he let out a yawn and stretched his back, audible pops echoing in the lift. 'I can't wait to get to bed', he thought as he readjusted his grip on the bag.

'Just remember to be inconspicuous Rolo. Be a background character'. His brother's words echoed in his mind as he slogged his way to his room. Flopping onto the bed, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep contentedly.


	2. DDI: The sequel

Uploaded: 19/12/2019 Last Edited: 28/01/2020

The air thrummed with lights and music as students crowded the hall. Youths from the four corners of the globe gathered in the auditorium, enjoying a night free from the responsibilities and burdens of school and being huntsmen.

Well, at least most were.

While most danced with a partner, enjoying themselves and the event, a single brown-haired boy stuck to the sidelines. He was not alone, the borders sometimes more crowded than the dancefloor itself. Yet, he, amongst the sea of colour that was the four academy's students, Rolo managed to blend in, casually slipping through the cracks in the crowd without them so much as giving a passing glance. Clad in a simple black suit, white shirt and baby blue tie, his only defining feature at first glance were his grey feline ears, which were tucked low onto his head to block out the noise.

As he drifted in the crowd, his eyes were darting around constantly as he rationalised his surroundings. He hadn't had any contact with his team yet so the best he could do was follow their advice. Specifically, Lelouch's.

'During the dance, keep an eye out for any potential obstacles or threats to your mission. Pay attention to them and find a way to avoid suspicion if they see you. Use your semblance if needed. But sparingly. Hell, if you need to dance for an alibi, then dance. But always keep in mind that at midnight, our agent's… "associate" will make her move. Wait for a few minutes and take advantage of the chaos amongst the security forces. Remember, get in, get out. No time for dallying.'

That was the advice he was given after being demolished in a chess match against his brother. Again. Snapping back to reality, he fingered the flashdrive in his pocket as he searched for his alibi. You'd think that in the sidelines, he'd find at least one person who was lonely enough to-

THERE. RIGHT THERE. THAT WAS HIS ALIBI.

It came in the form of a young girl standing in front of the punch bowl, 15 years old by his estimate, just shy of his age by a few months. She had neck length black hair which seemed to graduate into a dark red at the tips. She had a milky white complexion and was wearing a short, red, sleeveless dress with a thick black sash around the waist and black trim along the bottom. The bodice was split vertically to the sash and laced with black lacing, it's yoke a translucent mesh with opaque collar and hem, as well as opaque lines connecting the collar to her shoulders. Below she wore a pair of black stockings and pumps. She looked lost, as if she were searching for someone in the crowd. That would explain why she was holding two glasses. As he walked towards her, he picked up the traces of a conversation, one with a voice of anger.

Something concerning "leaving her hanging", "I can't dance" and "blur hair", whatever that meant. He couldn't care less. Just a few steps ahead, the girl was still oblivious to his approach. As the distance closed to just a few metres, he slowed down. He breathed deep, calming his nerves and stopping his shaking hand, which still tightly grasped the plastic in his pocket. With a final breath and a clearing of his throat. He strode up to her.

"Excuse me." Ruby Rose looked to her right, where she heard the voice. There stood a young man in a black suit and a blue tie. He was taller than her by a few inches (though that wasn't saying much), but likely a little shorter than Yang. She also noticed a round pair of ears on his crown, folded downwards. The sight made her giggle. He reminded her of Blake but, with the lost (and slightly fearful) look on his face, he also reminded her of those cute widdle kittens she would see at pet stores. Oh the way they would leap at the toys dangling above them! Their little mewls for attention. Their soft paws! The way they climbed up your leg! Their bright little eyes! The way they would-

"Um, excuse me?"

Ruby snapped out of her imaginary playtime. The boy still stood there, his purple eyes now with a hint of worry.

'Remember Ruby, normal knees! You may have your team and team JNPR but you need to make more friends!'

"Hello!" She chirped. "My name's Ruby. Ruby Rose. Can I help you?"

While she greeted him, she kept an eye out for Jaune. What was taking him so long?

With a little wave, he greeted, "Hello, my name's Rolo. Rolo Lamperouge. I hope you don't mind but I saw you standing all alone here with two glasses of punch. Did your date leave you or anything?"

At that question, Ruby blushed. Hard. Rolo has never seen such a sudden change in skin colour from white to tomato red. Ever. Well, except for that one time where Cornelia-

He stopped himself from finishing that thought. That was never to be spoken of by virtue of the trauma witnessed that day. He inwardly shuddered.

"WHA?! n-NO! i-It's not like that at all! Jaune and I are just friends! I-I mean it's not like we're NOT best friends or anything. It's just he didn't invitemeashisdatedortonightandthatifhedidthatwouldbe-" A chuckle stopped her from spiralling any further. As soon as he stopped, Rolo took a deep breath before he told her "Okay okay, slow down! How about we just take a breather. We don't want to seize up right?"

Ruby followed his advice and took a deep breath, the flush draining away from her face till she was back to her pale self. "Calm now?" asked Rolo. A meek nod was her response. "Alright" continued the boy, "as I was saying, were you left by your date? I'm sorry if it's an embarrassing question."

"Oh!" was her immediate reaction. Now that she was calmer, she could actually answer. "No, I don't have a date. I'm just holding this for a friend," she said as she shook a glass.

'Alright, moment of truth, Rolo. You got this.' he told himself. "Well in that case, would you mind if you…." the last few words came out unintelligible, thought a dusting of red appeared on his as he looked away. "Sorry?" was Ruby's answer. Again Rolo muttered something that she just barely made out. Something about…. pantsing with him? What was that?

"Sorry, could you speak louder? I can't hear you." she asked.

"I asked 'Would you like to dance with me?'" said Rolo in a rushed tone. Though that did not stop a few bystanders hearing him and grinning at his embarrassment. As his blush faded away, he straightened himself out before continuing. "Neither of us have dates and it would be a shame if a night like this was wasted." he reasoned.

"I would but I'm sorry I can't. I need to watch my friends drink until he gets back." said Ruby. Seriously, where was Jaune!?

"I'm sure that he can get another glass. Besides, if he's taking this long, I don't think punch is the most important thing to him right now." reasoned Rolo.

"Why do you think that?" asked Ruby.

"I don't know. Perhaps he found a dancing partner. Maybe he's just occupied with them. Either way, I don't think he'll be back at the punch bowl for a long time. So please? Just one dance?" reasoned the boy. After thinking it through for a moment, she conceded with a sigh and a smile. "Alright. But if I see him waiting around here I'm joining him. I'm not good at dancing. Don't really like it."

Nodding in understanding, out came a, "Alright then, let's do this!" in an overly excited tone. Catching himself, he quickly straightened himself again (much to his partner's amusement), before holding out a hand and bowing at the waist.

"Well then. Shall we, my lady?" With a smirk he learnt from his brother, the results were instantaneous. His partner had turned into a tomato again and could only shakily reach out and take his hand, leading her to the dance floor on a pair of shaky black heels.

'Now I see why Lelouch likes doing this. It's cute.' Rolo inwardly chuckled as he watched his partners flush deepen while they got into a proper starting position. Slowly they took the first step. Then the second. Then the third. Then the fourth and fifth. Soon, they were gliding relatively smoothly on the floor, albeit with an occasional "ouch!", "Sorry!" and stumble. Slowly but surely, Guinevere's dance classes started coming back. 'Well, she was right about me needing this' he mused.

"So Ruby. Can't help but notice that you seem a little young to be in Beacon. Any reasons why?" He asked.

"Oh it's kinda a long story. You see I graduated early from Signal when Ozpin spotted me protecting a store from a robbery." she answered.

"A robbery? By who?" pressed Rolo.

"Oh, no one. Just Roman Torchwick!" answered Ruby.

She went on to describe her night with vivid detail as they danced, even throwing in some kung fu sound effects occasionally, much to Rolo's amusement. While he listened to her story, throwing in the occasional response, he kept his eyes trained on his surroundings. Upon the balcony, he could see Ozpin, watching over all the students present. No doubt he had his suspicions of Rolo already, masked by a facade of diplomatic cordiality. On the dancefloor itself was the vice headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch if he remembered correctly, dancing with a man. Though she was the more outspoken on her suspicions of the two, it would be easier for him to step away from her. No, the most notable of his mission's threats came from her dance partner, who towered over the blonde woman by a few inches.

General James Ironwood. The leader of Atlas's military, the largest, strongest and most technologically advanced of the Four Kingdoms. Though with the entrance of his homeland onto the world stage, that status had been highly contested. The last bit especially. As the general of the visiting military force and headmaster of his Kingdom's Huntsman academy, he held power at the tips of his fingers and from what Rolo was told, was not afraid to flex that strength (if the airfleet he brought was any indication).

Yes. HE was the one Rolo had to steer clear from. If he was ever confronted, he'd have to try his damnedest to seem the meek pawn of the diplomatic effort. 'So, note to self. Steer clear of Ironwood under all circumstances until otherwise advised' jotted Rolo as he continued to listen to Ruby's slightly embellished recollection of events. All the while, they glided on the floor.

**-with Yang-**

Yang lifted her arms and stretched her back, no doubt garnering more than a few looks from others. Having just finished her duties at the entrance, taking note of the students, she had just got off from standing at the podium for the past hour. As she rubbed her shoulders, she made her way to the punch bowl to meet with Ruby. She last saw her just standing there! She had already dollied up her little sister! Her efforts to make Ruby look good for tonight will not go to waste! If Ruby didn't have a dance by now she would dance with her herself!

Her determined march was stopped short at the punch station, occupied by anyone but her sister. Where was she? Sad as it was to say but Ruby isn't social enough to ask someone for a dance so why would she disappear?

With a soft gasp, Yang broke into a grin. If Ruby doesn't ask for dances and isn't here, chances are that someone asked her to! And she accepted! Yang could just barely suppress a squeal from coming out, her body trembling with excitement. 'Oh I have to see this!' excitedly thought Yang as she pulled out a scroll. 'Dad's gonna freak!' She scanned the room, occasionally having to tiptoe to see over the people for her short sister. Finding a short person in a room where everyone's taller was difficult. Go figure. 'Can't be that hard Yang' she thought, 'She still stands out with that dress of hers. Just need to keep an eye out for-THERE!'

Coming into the middle of the floor, she spotted her sister happily dancing and chatting with a taller boy, Weiss's age by her guess. She put them into frame with her scroll, snapped a picture, and began filming. 'Juicy blackmail for later' she slyly thought. She took the time to assess her sister's partner. Tall but slightly shorter than her. Sleek. Brown hair. Purple eyes. Round feline ears. Mentally going through the guest list, she racked her brain to put a name to that face.

'What was his name again? Romeo? Romulus? Rojo? Rouge? I need to go back and check later.' decided Yang. 'Ahhh! But Ruby looks so cute dancing with him! She looks so happy!' She sighed contentedly. "Gotta send this to dad sometime" she muttered to herself. Just then, Rolo pulled Ruby into a spin and then into a dive, leaving a moment of silence between them as they gazed into their partner's eyes. On the sidelines, Yang blushed and squealed, as much as she tried to hold it in. The resulting stares from confused students left her apologising awkwardly, all the while trying to keep an eye on her little sister.

**-Xiao Long Household-**

Taiyang Xiao Long, former member of Team STRQ, single father of two and teacher at Signal Academy, was in the middle of aggressively stuffing a mail delivery tube when he froze. His face contorted as his nose got itchy. The discomfort soon grew unbearable and with it, a discharge that could rival the thunderbolts of the heavens rang forth.

**"****ACHOO!"**

He took a moment to rub his nose and clear it of snot, one easily used by Zwei to wriggle out of the tube. He may be used to it, but it was still uncomfortable! As he scampered away, Taiyang finally cleared his nose.

"Ugh, somebody must be talking about me," he thought aloud. "Wonder who it could be? Also," he looked down at his free hand, which seemed to tremble with strength. "Why do I feel so angry?" he continued. He couldn't explain it but it knew it had something to do with Ruby. 'Oh no. What if she's hurt!?' thought the father. Quickly, however, he calmed himself down. After all, Yang was there for her little sister so she was well protected already.

"Now, time to use this new energy to finish packing. ZWEI! COME HERE!" exclaimed Taiyang.

With that, he stomped off, more than determined to finish with his canine mail delivery. Zwei could only cower and cover his ears that day.

**-Back at the dance-**

"- and then I was like 'Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! IT WILL BE DELICIOUS!' and then my teammates cheered behind me!" Ruby recounted with stars in her eyes. Still the best day ever in her opinion. Rolo couldn't help but laugh heartily as Ruby recalled their epic food fight at the start of their semester. As her recollection ended, the music slowed down, decreasing the tempo of the dancing as well. Soon the pair were just swishing from side to side.

"So, I've told a lot about myself but I've heard none from you. Tell me something about yourself for a change." said Ruby.

"Alright." Rolo conceded. "Where to begin… I have two siblings in my family. An elder brother and a twin sister."

"That's interesting! What do your siblings do?" asked Ruby.

"Well they're huntsmen in training, just like us, though my sister hasn't started yet," stated Rolo. That caught her attention.

"What do you mean 'yet'? Isn't she in training like you?" asked Ruby.

"Well you see," began Rolo, " She didn't do well enough in the entrance exams to get into the school like me. So, unfortunately, she'll have to try again next year."

"Well, I hope she manages to get in," said Ruby. "What about your brother?"

"He's two years above me. Popular in the school, recognised as a genius. In all honesty, it's nice but being known as 'his brother' get's annoying at times," replied the boy.

"Oh that's interesting! Speaking of which, you never did tell me which academy you're from. Your Kingdom neither. So, where are you from?" asked the huntress.

With a sigh and a quick deliberation, Rolo decided to relent. After all, if the meetings went well and relations improved (which he was sure of), he wouldn't need to hide for much longer, so this wouldn't hurt.

"Can you keep a secret?" asked Rolo abruptly.

"Uh what?" responded Ruby intelligently.

"I said 'Can you keep a secret?"' repeated the boy.

"Oh! Um, yeah sure! I can do that!" answered the girl with her bubbly attitude. With a deep breath, Rolo readied himself for the revelation.

"Well you see, I'm not from the Four Kingdoms. I'm actually from Bri-"

"OH MY GOD WHAT'S HAPPENING OVER THERE?!"

In the middle of the dance floor were Pyrrha Nikos and her partner Jaune Arc, who was wearing a white dress. The two danced in sync and before long the other half of Team JNPR joined in, a planned dance routine breaking out in the hall. The cheers from the circle formed around them let Rolo take a breather, Ruby having pulled him for a closer view. He used the time to check his watch before his eyes widened.

It read 00:02.

Crap! He had to get into position to use the chaos! He had to get ready.

With a little tap on the shoulder, Ruby turned her head to face him. "Hey Ruby," he began. "I need to use the toilet, I think I had something bad!" He doubled over, clutching his gut in pain.

"Oh no! Are you gonna be okay? Maybe you should see the nurse!" Hook, line and sinker.

"No it's okay. I just need to ...go! Like really badly! That's all!" responded Rolo.

"Oh? Ohhhhhhhhh," intoned Ruby. "I understand! Go ahead! I'll be waiting for you back here!"

"Alright thanks Ruby! See you in a bit!" said Rolo as he "limped" to the toilets.

**-CCT Tower, top floor, after Cinder's infiltration-**

At 00:20, a lone black-clad figure stalked through the communications room. Having scaled the elevator shaft to not alert the already-on-high-alert-guards, it made its way to the front desk. Pulling out a little black stick, it jacked the piece of hardware into the scroll port in the centre of the desk and gave its input into the system. Priming the tiny self-destruct mechanism, the figure waited with bated breath as the holoscreen counted its download progress, the words "DOWNLOAD IN PROGRESS" displayed in a light blue midair. A finger began to tap impatiently as the bar neared its limit.

Just a little more. Just a little more and the mission would be compl-

*DING*

'Shit!'

As the elevator doors slid open, General Ironwood stepped out and scanned his surroundings. It was just minutes earlier that the tower had been infiltrated and after handing over the young trainee huntress who helped defend it for rudimentary interrogations (a formality really), his gut told him to come back. Something was off.

Just as the doors parted, he heard a fizzle and a pop and caught a spark of light on the front desk. Barging through the gap, he strode over, determined to find out. Looking at the desk, he could make out black bits of plastic. The smell of burnt matter told him that something had just been incinerated. Erased. It couldn't have been the previous infiltration since the windows were broken. The smell would've already escaped. In other words, there was a second infiltration. A recent one.

The culprit might still be around.

Reaching into his suit, Ironwood drew a Due Process, one of his revolvers, and held it at the ready. Slowly he stalked the rest of the room, sweeping every corner to flush out the intruder. Unbeknownst to him, said intruder was just barely hanging on above.

The figure held onto a thick, black, rectangular steel trunking on the ceiling, one used to hold wiring. They held on as gravity fought to bring them down, their body pressed flush against the structure. Their ankles, oddly enough, were inverted at nearly-90 degree angles, their feet hooking onto the top.

Their heart raced as they slowly shifted themselves into the top of the beam, wary of alerting the Atlesian below. As they shifted themselves onto the top of the beam, they let out a quite sigh of relief, releasing a held breath.

Too loud.

In an instant, Ironwood whipped around and trained his sights in where he heard the noise. His eyes narrowed, steeling himself for the possible conflict. Someone was DEFINITELY here.

"Come out! There is no use in hiding! I know you are there! Show yourself!" asserted Ironwood.

'Crap!' thought the figure. They clamped a hand over their mouth to prevent a gasp of surprise from being heard. The other hand gripped tighter as fear began to clench their heart.

Seeing no response, Ironwood sought to press the intruder. "I'll say it again. Come out from your hiding place. Surrender peacefully and I will ensure that no harm is done to you. I will even convince the courts to give lighter sentencing!" He then reached up to his earpiece. With a crackle of static it came alive.

"Reds 1 to 3 this is White. Requesting support over at the CCT Tower. Top Floor. Intruder cornered. Potentially hostile. Over." A moment later it crackled again. "White this is Red 1 leader. We copy. ETA 5 minutes. What's the situation? Over."

Ironwood smirked. 'Got you now' he thought as he reached to respond. "Single suspect, cornered in the top floor. May retaliate. Requesting support. Be advised that non-lethal force is to be used. Set rifles to stun. Over."

"Copy White. ETA 3 minutes. Over and out." crackled the device.

'Come on Rolo, think of something! You can't afford to be caught!' The now revealed student rebuked himself, trying to find a way out. But to no avail, as fear became increasingly constricting on his mind. His heart beat faster, he started to hyperventilate, audible even through his hand if only barely.

Seeing as to how the intruder had yet to respond, Ironwood chose to nudge them into a response.

A shot rang out in the building. The round bounced off the ceiling to Rolo's right, the sound snapping him out of his panic. 'Alright. Single opponent. Exit point across the room. 3 minutes to make a getaway before I'm caught. What can I use?' pondered Rolo, his eyes darting about the room.

'2 minutes' counted Ironwood, He slowly crept his way closer to where the intruder was, gun trained on their position. Suddenly, he felt as if he was weightless for a second and from the corner of his eye, caught a glimpse of movement. Swinging around he loosed another shot.

"You've had two warning shots! I will not miss the third time. Come out!" ordered the general, looking for the intruder's new position.

With Rolo, he was crouched upon a new beam, having used his semblance to buy some extra time for movement. Still, his leap did not leave him unscathed. 'Dammit,' he thought as he examined himself. Luckily though, no puncture. He breathed a sigh of relief but was annoyed. He had to buck up. That shot could have been avoided! On his thigh, there was a hole, torn by the passing bullet. 'Still,' he thought as he reached into a back pocket, 'I've got something to use for escaping.' He looked at his hand, a grenade held in his palm.

Meanwhile, Ironwood crept closer still. '30 seconds' he counted. Suddenly his earpiece spoke out. "White this is Red 1 leader. We are heading up the elevator. What's your status? Over." With a grin knowing of his imminent victory, he replied, "Red 1 Leader this is White. Be advised, the suspect has started to move. Be alert. Over" With a quick reply of "Copy", the general kept his sights focused, patiently waiting for his men.

With a chime of the elevator and the *clomp clomp clomp* of rushing boots, Atlesian men filed into the room and assumed firing positions. With the arrival of support, Ironwood spoke out, "We have you surrounded! Come out now and surrender! I guarantee that you will be subject to no harm!"

'Now or never Rolo' he spoke to himself. With that, he gathered his aura. Though his slight shifting gave his position away to the Atlesians.

Quickly, the beam he lay on was painted by a dozen red dots, all ready to fire at the word.

"Come out! This is your last chance to surrender before we open fire!" asserted Ironwood.

'Now!' thought Rolo. With a spike of aura, he triggered his semblance and leapt. As he moved from beam to beam towards the window, he noticed Ironwood bring his gun to bear, albeit sluggishly.

The intruder came out as a blur, Ironwood just barely able to catch him. "Over there! At the windows!" he exclaimed. The soldiers immediately turned their sights towards the broken pane of glass and saw a thin black figure standing against the moonlight. With a flash, it leapt out high as a shout of " OPEN FIRE" rang out.

As bullets whizzed past him, Rolo primed and threw the grenade he had in hand just as he leapt. A few seconds later, while twisting in the air to avoid the bullets, he reached the apex of his leap and began to freefall.

'The intruder threw something.' noted Ironwood. He squinted in the moonlight. What was that? It was cylindrical, looked metallic and had a pronounced piece on top, with a handle included. Almost like a gr-

"GRENADE! GET DOWN!" cried out Ironwood. The general and his men dove to the floor, just in time for the flashbang to go off, filling the room with a burst of light and a deafening *BANG*.

As the soldiers recovered from the sensory shock, General Ironwood stumbled towards the windowpane, blinking spots from his eyes and his ears still ringing. He looked down, and the intruder was nowhere to be seen. In anger, he glared at the courtyard and the auditorium just in the distance.

"Fuck!" he swore silently.

**-Back at the dance-**

Rolo arrived back at the hall, having burnt his clothes in a flash of sakuradite-laced fire dust. He looked around for his partner but she was nowhere to be found. Where could she be?

Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he was greeted by his black-and-red haired partner. "Hey," he said, "where were you?"

"Sorry!" apologised Ruby. "I was pulled aside for some school things that took… longer than expected! Yeah!"

"Oooookayyy" replied Rolo. "That's cool I guess. What was it about?"

"Oh, I can't say yet. It's got to do with the Vytal Festival you know? Important things." said the huntress.

"I see. Well then! Mum's the word!" said Rolo, tapping his nose.

"Huh?" was her response.

"It's a figure of speech to say 'I'll keep it secret'" explained Rolo.

"Ohhhh," was her intelligent response.

Just then, the music changed to a slow dance and couples filtered onto the dancefloor.

Taking stock of the situation, Rolo did what was hammered into him after hours of classes. One hand behind his back, he bowed towards the huntress and held out an awaiting hand.

"Milady, may you honour me with this dance?" he asked with exaggerated pomp.

"Oh…" responded Ruby. It took her a moment to catch on but when she did, she took his hand and with a nervous grin, said, "You may."

With a smile, he pulled her onto the floor and they waltzed, blissfully unaware of Yang still recording them. When it was time to retire for the night, Ruby pulled Rolo aside, promising her team that she wouldn't take more than 5 minutes before walking him to the guest dorms.

Just as they reached his room, Ruby spoke something that was bothering her. "So Rolo," she began, making him turn around. "what was it that you wanted to tell me earlier on? The secret."

Rolo's eyebrows shot up when he realised where this was going. With the history of between his homeland and the Four Kingdoms, his would she react? He couldn't back away now, she would only pursue him further. But he couldn't tell her the whole truth yet, it would compromise the mission! He would have to lie, at least till the full truth can be revealed.

"Well, the truth is I'm from the island of Nihon, east of mainland Mistral and I transferred into Haven during the 2nd year. Instead of me joining in the 1st year like most trainees, I shadowed huntsmen in the first year, gathered recommendations as well as doing some solo work on the side. That's why I said it was a secret. If people find out I'm from Nihon, who knows what they might do. Sure Beacon and Vale, in general, may be safer but there's always somebody who bears a grudge." lied Rolo. 'I'm sorry Ruby.' he mentally said.

"Also," he added, "since I've told you all this, can you please keep it a secret from everyone? I need to tell them myself."

Ruby took in that information and thought about it. There was a shadowing system in place, true, but it was difficult. Very few got in that way. His fears of being discovered made sense. After all, Mistral and Nihon had ended their fighting just a few years ago so tensions were still high. Though, something seemed off. She couldn't put her finger on it but it was there. He was lying but she couldn't figure out how. That being said, his tone was sincere enough for it to sound like the truth. Without much less to go off of, she gave him the benefit of the doubt. "Alright Rolo, you put your trust in me by telling me this and I will keep that trust. My lips are sealed," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Ruby. You have no idea how much this means to me." That was the truth.

"Agh it's no problem Rolo!" she said as she waved a hand dismissively. "That's what friends do after all!" she continued.

"Well then I am honoured to be called a friend!" replied the boy.

Just then a chime came from her scroll. A text from Yang telling her to hurry back to the dorms.

"Shoot. Well, tonight was fun Rolo but I gotta go! See you some other time!" said Ruby as she ran off, cursing about how painful running in heels was.

He chuckled and waved as he saw her run off into the distance. Just as he was about to enter, a throat cleared beside him.

"I take it you had fun tonight, Mr Lamperouge?" asked Ozpin, coming out of nowhere.

"AAAAHHHH!" Startled, he let out a very unmasculine scream and launched himself into the air, sticking to the ceiling. There were a few seconds of awkward silence, Ozpin looking up at the feline faunus who hung by his claws. Down the hall, an irritated "SHUT UP WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!" rang out.

"Are you going to come down? Or do you require assistance, Mr Lamperouge? Because I assure you we are fully equipped for the occasional bodily mishap." said Ozpin. With a blush and a muted apology, Rolo retracted his claws and dropped to the floor, landing with nary a sound.

"Impressive. I see you put your additional traits to good use and are well versed in them," said Ozpin. 'If your performance tonight was any indication.' he continued internally as he sipped his mug.

"Oh! Thank you for the kind words, headmaster. I have to ask, why are you here at this time of night?" asked Rolo, panicking internally. 'I didn't even sense him coming!'

"Not much, just wanted to check on the lone Britannian in school. After all, it must be lonely and frankly frightening to be the only one of your kind. Not to mention, being both a Faunus and a Britannian, whose home is not exactly known for total cooperation, I must imagine that you have or will face a large amount of discrimination here." reasoned Ozpin in a hushed tone.

"Thank you for your concern, Headmaster." began Rolo, following suit. "But as you can see, I'm currently facing no issues." This prompted a raised eyebrow from the white-haired man, one which made Rolo nervous. Was his cover blown?

"I see. Well, in that case, would you care to explain why you so blatantly lied to young Ruby just now?" asked Ozpin.

"Well you see," reasoned Rolo, "I do not wish to reveal myself entirely yet since there is still animosity between my home and the Kingdoms. I wish to remain as "the boy from Nihon" until the rest of the Emissariat arrives. That way, I will not have to worry about being cornered and bullied by students for my home's actions. Nor will I have to worry about compromising the oncoming talks. News of the student representative acting out would surely jeopardise cooperation efforts no?"

"I suppose you are right to think that," spoke Ozpin. "However, should you require any assistance or run into any trouble, know that I am able and willing to help where I can. After all, what chance do two nations have at working together when two individuals from them can't? Nonetheless, I am here for you."

"Thank you, professor."

"Well, I've nothing else to do so I bid you goodnight Mister Lamperouge. I wish you a smooth mission tomorrow." With that, the Headmaster turned and walked down the hall.

"Goodnight Professor!" called out Rolo (quietly).

Turning to his door, just as he entered, his burner scroll buzzed with a notification. He looked at it and saw 2 simples words on its screen.

CONTACT ESTABLISHED

'Perfect' he thought. With a grin he changed into his sleepwear and flopped onto the bed and closed his eyes. 'I wonder what Lelouch and the team are doing right now?' he wondered as he drifted off to sleep.

**-Meanwhile, location unknown-**

With a grunt of effort and the swing of a sword, a Beowolf was cut down from shoulder to hip, the two pieces falling apart as they dissipated. A black haired man wiped his brow as the last of the Grimm in the village were culled. Luckily, no civilian casualties. Now they just had to put out the fires.

As he sat down on a piece of rubble, he gazed at the rest of the village from his position on an elevated ridge. Just then, a black-clad soldier walked up to him. "Yes, Captain?" he acknowledged.

"Milord, we have just received word from the Iris program! It seems that master Rolo successfully gained access to the CCT system." said the captain with a salute.

"Did he now? Excellent." said the man as he stood up. "Chart a course for Vale, captain." spoke the man with authority. A curt "Yes Sir!" saw the soldier jogging off to make preparations. Meanwhile, the man tapped on his earpiece to connect to his teammates.

"Yes, Lelouch?" asked his partner.

"Pack your bags boys. We are headed to Beacon." proclaimed Lelouch. A pair of acknowledgements came through and soon, he found himself boarding his vessel.

"Time for school," he said as the bay doors hissed shut.

**-At the CCT tower in Vale-**

The screens in the communications room flickered, the Queen's virus digging into the system with the symbol of a Black Queen piece displayed on all the holoscreens in its revelry. Suddenly, the symbol began to glitch out, its image erratically stretching and breaking across the displays as a new one took its place amongst a white background. Replacing it stood the even more regal Black King piece, a slender thing with high prongs on its crown. Behind it, a black sigil of what seemed to be a simplified bird, wings outstretched in flight. Yet, as soon as it made its presence known to an absent audience, the displays vanished, plunging the room back into its ambient green lighting.


	3. Breach 2: Britannian Boogaloo

Uploaded: 19/12/2019

As Atlesian airships drifted in the sky of Vale, medics and security teams swept the town, checking for anyone caught under the debris. Meanwhile, the trainee huntsmen teams on scene were congratulating each other on pushing back the massive Grimm hordes. Even as the wounded among the defenders, teacher and student alike, were getting patched up they chatted jovially, glad that the fight was over.

"So then I was like 'You destroyed my favourite fashion store. Prepare to die.' And then I beat it down with my purse before I ripped through the others!" boasted Coco, leader of Team CVFY. As she imitated her weapon, some of the students gathered around her and laughed at her tale, enjoying the dramatic recollection. Meanwhile, others were being interviewed by news teams, eager to get the story of 'The Breach' on-air quickly.

They were going to be here for a while what with interrogations on how it started, who was responsible etc. Currently, it was Ruby's turn to be interrogated. Facing an Atlas officer, she was seated in the hold of a bullhead, the officer standing in front of her, a tablet in hand.

"Alright Miss Rose let's get this started. Now before we begin I assure you that you and your friends are under no scrutiny. We just need details on what happened before so this is a formality. Understood?" briefed the officer.

"Yep!" was her response.

"Very well then." She set the tablet to record and began the interrogation. "Where were you last night?"

"In the city of Mount Glenn. We were shadowing our teacher Doctor Oobleck for a field assignment."

"What was your purpose there?"

"To gather information on the Grimm in the area and… gain experience? Oh! And follow the lead of what we thought was a criminal operation." a short "Mhm" was the only response from the soldier.

"Can you identify who was responsible for the attack?" she pressed.

"Roman Torchwick and the White Fang." That raised an eyebrow. "Interesting." remarked the officer. "Wouldn't think those two could work together. That being said, previous confrontations at the docks and sightings at White Fang meetings prove otherwise."

The questioning continued for another 15 minutes. By the end of it, Ruby was eager to get out and speak with her team.

The officer ended the recording with a little chirp from the tablet before walking up to Ruby and offering her hand. "Thank you" was the huntress's meek response. Suddenly she spasmed and she grimaced. "Ow! My legs. Ooooooh crampcrampcrampcrampcramp." she cried as she massaged her limbs. The officer let out a little chuckle before helping Ruby to the door of the bullhead.

"Thank you for your time Miss Rose. You and your team are free to go," she said, helping the fifteen year old off the vehicle. A little "thanks" from Ruby squeaked out.

"Go back and rest kid. You've had a long day." said the officer as she saw Ruby off.

Ruby turned around and waved as she walked off to her team. "Thanks Miss!" she replied. "I'll be sure to get plenty of-"

She was cut off by blaring sirens, ones that sounded that morning as well.

"Another Grimm attack?!" cried out the officer. Suddenly, the ground shook and from the ground burst a King Taijitu. The two halves slithered out from the hole and hissed at the defenders threateningly.

"OPEN FIRE!" ordered the officer. A salvo of munitions flew at the beast. Having just come out of the ground, there was little it could do to defend itself against the combined fusillade of Atlesian soldiers and Huntsmen, teacher and student alike. It took mere seconds for the serpent to fall, only able to helplessly flail about and smack a handful of defenders.

As the body dissipated, accelerated by Dr Oobleck's torch, he went over to the hole it came from. Dropping down, his torch lit up the dark tunnel the Taijitu had burrowed. "Curious," he remarked. "There are no other Grimm following it. I wonder why?" As he crawled out of the hole, Headmaster Ozpin approached him.

"So Doctor?" he prompted.

"Well headmaster, it's a sizeable tunnel. Large enough to ferry a Grimm horde. Thankfully no others are approaching yet. I suggest we barricade or block the tunnel for now and follow it to the other entrance." spoke Oobleck.

"Very well then," replied Ozpin. With a glance to the Atlesian officer, it was not long before the engineers got to work.

All the while the sirens still blared. Determined to stop the horde from spreading, Team RWBY approached the headmaster.

"Professor Ozpin! Permission to track down the pack of Grimm!" asked Ruby at the head of the quartet.

"I am afraid for your wellbeing, Miss Rose, that we cannot allow your team to go fight again alone. The fight you had here must be exhausting for you all," spoke Ozpin.

"Yes, but we need to help the civilians! We cannot stand by while an easily defeatable invasion descends on us!" retorted Weiss.

"Besides she's not alone." spoke up Sun Wukong. Behind him was Neptune and Team CVFY, primed for battle despite some injury.

With a sigh, Ozpin let out a little grin. "Alright. But take the Atlesian forces with you." The nearby officer nodded in confirmation, her men quickly mustering behind her. "Remember, there is no shame in sitting out. You just finished one fight and are entering another. If you feel your aura is low or you are being overwhelmed, I want you to retreat. No questions asked. Understood?" cautioned Ozpin, receiving a resounding affirmation.

"Speaking of which, where's General Ironwood and the fleet?" asked Blake.

"They're further inland, having retreated after it was assumed that the attacks had stopped. He was called to speak to the Council in person, I'm afraid. They will arrive in the city in 10 minutes. Even at top speed, these 10 minutes must not be wasted. Lives are at stake!"

With that, the teams began to board the bullheads, priming themselves for combat once more.

"Where do we find the horde?" asked Yang as she sat down. The pilot turned around and faced the team (and dog).

"Current reports show a northward spread of the horde. Given the tunnel burrowed by the Taijitu, the Grimm cluster is likely to be in the agricultural district and will probably spread towards the more populated industrial zone.

"Alright let's get there then!" said Ruby. With a nod, the pilot turned back to his controls and started the engines.

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life. "This is patrol group 1. Falling back to the industrial area. All civilians in the agricultural zone have been evacuated to emergency bunkers in the city."

"That about confirms it." remarked Blake.

"Hang on girls! We'll get there as quickly as possible." said the pilot. The bullhead began to lift off the ground when the radio came to life once more.

"This is patrol group 1! Unknown airship sighted above the industrial zone. Firing on the Grimm! Orders lieutenant?" A moment later, the radio buzzed again, the officer coming through the comms.

"Copy patrol group 1, this is lieutenant Hail. Hunker down and protect the civilians. Ensure their safety first and evacuate more if you need to. Let the airship take care of the Grimm. As long as it does not fire on you, treat it as an ally."

"Copy lieutenant. Patrol Group 1 over and- Update! Update! Three unknowns dropped from the airship. One from the rooftops. Engaging the Grimm! Orders?"

"Your order still stands, soldier. Let them fight the Grimm. Prioritise civilian safety. ETA 10 minutes."

"Copy lieutenant. Patrol group 1 over and out."

As the bullhead glided across the river, Ruby could only imagine who these people were.

'Where are they from? How old are they? Wait, WHAT DO THEIR WEAPONS LOOK LIKE?! HOW DO THEY WORK?!'. Those last two thoughts left her giggling with excitement, much to the worry of the other passengers.

"Oh no. She's off in her imagination again." bemoaned Yang. Though she was just as excited as her sister was at meeting new people. Just for different reasons.

'Wonder how they are in a fight?' pondered the blond brawler. Suddenly, a flock of juvenile Nevermores came flying towards the aircraft. With a grunt of effort, the pilot pulled and twisted on the yoke, just barely managing to avoid a direct collision.

It wasn't enough.

A handful of them flew into the wings, unable to turn away in time. Their bodies, though dissipating, clogged the left engine of the aircraft.

"Lieutenant, this is Hawk 1. We've been hit by a birdstrike! Forced to find an LZ. Please advise!" reported the pilot. Meanwhile in the cabin the girls were hanging on for dear life, gripping tightly onto the support straps.

"Copy Hawk 1. Make a landing in a safe LZ. Huntress team will have to make it by foot."

With an affirmation from the pilot, the bullhead landed on the roof of a nearby tower. "Sorry girls," apologised the pilot. "you'll need to walk the rest of the way. You're about 3 minutes from the action."

"It's alright. Thanks for the ride sir! Stay safe!" said Ruby as she and her team leapt across the buildings. The pilot waved them off, wishing them luck. Then he turned to his bullhead and set off the distress beacon. All he could do was wait.

**-With Team RWBY-**

"Follow the smoke!" shouted Weiss as they shot across the roofs. In the distance, a black plume of smoke rose into the sky, thick and ominous.

"Come on guys! Hurry!" shouted Ruby. With their leader's encouragement, they picked up the pace. As they approached where the horde would be, their could hear bestial roars, shouts of fury and gunfire.

Getting closer to the action, the recently-abandoned buildings began to sag and slope down, the damage dealt by Grimm and gunfire alike leaving them crumbling if not already fallen. Just in front of them, a collapsed warehouse blocked the way to their quarry, the debris stacked high.

As they came to a stop, Team RWBY saw the rest of the supporting force fly overhead. Then, her scroll rang. Looking at the caller ID, she answered and heard Jaune on the other end.

"Ruby! Ruby you there?" called Jaune. She could just barely hear him, the whine of the bullhead engines making it difficult.

"Yes Jaune I can hear you what is it?" asked Ruby. While she spoke to him, she and her team were trying to find a way around the debris, aura conservation a priority in mind. "Any progress yet?" she asked.

"None! See if you can find a way around genius!" retorted Weiss, clearly annoyed.

"Well sorry!" replied Ruby.

"What if I bust through it?" suggested Yang?

"That would be too risky. The debris may be too unstable and collapse on us. Besides, it looks pretty thick" reasoned Blake.

As her teamed discussed, she turned back to her scroll to continue speaking to Team JNPR's leader. "Sorry, go on."

"Right, well from our view I can see the airship they mentioned as well as the fighting below. Seems like the Grimm entrance collapsed. There's a huge crater in the middle of the street!" replied Jaune. "There's no safe LZ according to the pilot. All the buildings in the area have collapsed! We'll need to jump out of bullhead!"

All of a sudden, a great tongue of fire shot into the sky, bathing the district in reds, oranges and yellows.

"Gotta go Ruby! See you soon! JNPR let's go!" was what Ruby heard before the call ended and she heard the dial tone. 'Oh crapbaskets.' thought Ruby. "Weiss!" she called " we can't waste any more time. We need your glyphs!"

"On it!" was their Atlesian teammate's response. Soon a line of circular arrays bloomed from nothing, forming a ramp on the debris. One by one, the members of Team RWBY were slingshot by the acceleration line and flew over the debris. With urgency, they made their way as quickly as possible, Ruby boosting herself with Crescent Rose, Weiss with her Glyphs, Yang with her gauntlets and Blake with her ribbon and Shadow Clones, swinging from streetlight to streetlight.

The sounds of battle grew more intense as they moved, stray fires burning on the roadside on Grimm remains. Up ahead they spotted Team JNPR, having just dealt with a few Grimm if the corpses said anything.

"Hey guys!" called out Yang. Their blonde leader turned around and had a face of relief when he saw them.

"Thank goodness you're here!" said Jaune. "We were swamped with them when we landed!" gesturing to the sizeable mass of Grimm around them. "Luckily we managed to pull through for now." continued Jaune "Now come on! There's more up ahead!" With that, the assembled 8 started running.

As they ran, supporting bullheads could be seen flying beside them and overhead. "Hey Jaune! Where's the rest of our support?" They couldn't afford to stop, so he looked at her from behind as they kept running.

"They're looking to contain the spread of the Grimm. The Atlas forces are forming an encirclement and we're part of it." started Jaune.

"How are we gonna do that?" asked Ruby.

"We've got other teams and Atlesian squads on either side. We're meant to sweep up any Grimm we find on the way." continued Pyrrha as Nora launched grenades into a pack of Beowolves. They never stood a chance.

"They sent out scout drones ahead to survey the area. Last we heard," explained Ren, "the unknown combatants were doing a decent job at holding back the tide." A resounding rumble of the airship's guns and angered roars in the distance seemed to support that observation.

"Well we gotta hurry! We can't leave them alone. I'm sure they need help!" insisted Ruby as they kept running. They could see the crater, the cave-in caused by the Grimm just up ahead! As they neared it, the asphalt was littered with thousands of cracks and fissures but the students pressed on. The rim itself was littered with debris, broken pipes spewing out whatever matter they held, broken cables randomly arcing with electricity and steel rebars twisted and warped from the destruction.

Below, a mound of Grimm corpses clogged the tunnel entrance, several more of their living comrades clambering up to the surface. Many were successful, if the reports of contact from the atlesians said anything. But many more were not. The drones had estimated the hole to be about 24' deep and a maximum 120' in diameter, with the current mound of dissipating bodies, along with the debris that collapsed into the crater, filling the concave depression to about 3 quarters of the way.

'So many Grimm! Who did this?' thought aloud Ruby in amazement. The members of Team RWBY and JNPR were likewise stunned as well. An explosion overhead rocked them out of their stupor. Above, a humanoid metal construct, soared in the air, gunning down flying Grimm eager to swoop down onto their prey with its cannons.

"RAAAH!" A shout of fury got their attention. Turning back to the hole, they could spot a single fighter holding back the tide. From afar and amidst the blur of action, Ruby could only make out his raven hair and his weapon, a cruciform sword, cutting down the Grimm left and right as he danced among the bodies.

"C'mon! We need to help him!" said Yang. Together, they charged down the slope, hewing and gunning down any Grimm that stood in their way. As she shot down an Ursa, among the last of the Grimm climbing up the slope, Ruby shouted over to the unknown fighter, "Just hang on! We're coming over!". That caught his attention.

"**STAY!"**, he ordered. Suddenly, the teams found themselves frozen, their feet refusing to move. 'What's happening!?' panicked Ruby. Try as she might, her feet refused to budge. Looking behind her, her friends were similarly stuck in their places. Meanwhile, the fighter, in a momentary lapse of combat, spoke into an earpiece, speaking to someone.

Suddenly, the cannons of the airship trained onto clusters of Grimm in the vicinity and explosions littered the roads, the beasts blown to smithereens. After some struggling, the students of Beacon were able to break themselves out of their situation. But then, as they were about to resume their charge, they realised it was futile.

The battle was already over. A roar of pain directed their gazes to a lone Ursa Major, cut to bits that fell beneath its killer, that stood on the peak of the mound of beasts. With trepidation, they approached the lone defender, Zwei padding behind them, panting

Breathing heavily, the fighter took his sword and stuck it into a nearby creep head. His shoulders slumped in exhaustion, he took a seat on the mound, on top of a dissipating Alpha Beowolf. One gloved hand resting on the hilt of his sword, the other wiped his brow of sweat. As the sound of approaching Atlesians support closed in on the hole, it was then he spoke.

"Hello. I am Lelouch Lamperouge of the Britannian team sent here for the exchange program and the Vytal Festival tournament. Who are you?"


	4. Meeting the neighbours

**Hey guys. Just want to say a bit before we get on with the chapter. **

**Thank you all for the support you've shown so far. Was not expecting such a positive response at first. If anything I was anticipating at least one negative comment. (touch wood)**

**2\. Please don't hold back any criticisms you may have. I'm looking to improve my writing after all. That said, this is my first story after all so if you would kindly be ****_a bit_**** gentle with your words that would be nice.**

**3\. Some bits may be a bit forced so I apologise for any parts that seem offputting or of lower quality compared to the rest.**

**4\. I must apologise for such a long delay in uploading. Between Christmas, the New Year, CNY and my internship, I haven't had much time nor energy to produce much at night. (Also, hope you guys had a great Christmas, a wonderful New Year, and for those that celebrate it, a happy Lunar/Chinese New Year [get that money])**

**5\. I've gone back to the previous chapters to edit them a bit. Just a few formatting changes, nothing major. Do let me know if this chapter or any of the previous ones have any glaring grammar mistakes that need fixing (thanks).**

**Lastly, I'm just gonna answer a few questions from the reviews:**

**Ewerton Da Silva Rodrigues: Admittedly I wrote myself into a hole there. But I'm up for the challenge. It may be a bit underwhelming since I tend to speed over these issues but nonetheless, I'll try.**

**Coment9: Not exactly. I plan to follow the canon storyline of RWBY. And yes there will be Knightmare Frames in the fic. Am working on finding a way to fit them into the story.**

**arga101: Thank you. I wish the same to you too. Hope 2020 treats you well!**

**And without further ado, onto the fic!**

**Warning: This chapter is dialogue intensive.**

Uploaded: 28/01/2020

Last Updated: 30/04/2020 (some spelling changes)

Chapter 3

That was a rhetorical question. He _already_ knew who they were. After all, the Iris Program served to dig into networks and dredge up information otherwise inaccessible to Britannia's intelligence, public or otherwise. That and Rolo has already sent their profiles to him in advance. The academies weren't exactly secretive when it came to the pupils. Not to mention the teams having caught the public eye given their members and their escapades. Who hadn't heard of the Invincible Girl and the 15-year-old prodigy, Ruby Rose?

Nonetheless, a facade must be maintained for the plan to work. He'd be damned if he blew it now!

Coming back to reality, he realised that they still stared at him in cautioned and analytic gazes. So, he cleared his throat.

"Ahem!" Snapping out of their wonder, the teams, now closer, could take a good look at his appearance. He seemed tall, roughly 6'2" and was lean built, like a swimmer. Simply oozing a sense of regality, he looked tan, his face covered with dust, marred with a painful-looking gash down his right cheek and had a mop of sweat-drenched, raven black hair that almost fell over his eyes, a pair of amethyst orbs. He wore a red undershirt, drenched with sweat as well, and a scuffed, dented, dark violet cuirass with golden trim and multiple plates, all covered by an open black jacket with a silver zipper and a windstorm collar, sporting golden piping and trim along with a violet interior.

The jacket itself was marked with his personal symbol, on the right shoulder and the back in deep violet. It was simple in design, with a minimalistic bird stretching its wings out, curving upwards as if to form a ring. Seemingly piercing its middle, denoted by a downward kink in the figure, was a cruciform sword, bearing only the most simple of details. In stark contrast to the black, his cuffs provided a splash of red. Some of the more observant members also spotted regular segments on the jacket that were _just a little_ bulkier than the rest.

On his shoulders were a pair of silver pauldrons, seemingly riveted into the jacket while a pair of black, baggy cargo pants covered his legs, adorned with segmented, golden armour plates on his thighs, knees and shins. Below that, he wore a pair of black boots with steel plated toes, soiled with detritus.

He also wore two belts, one a brown leather baldrick across his torso, with ammunition magazines strapped to the front. The other was on his waist, a simple black belt with a silver buckle. Strapped to it were more magazines and on his right hip, what looked to be a dagger, while on the left was a small pouch, complete with a snap-buttoned lid and also stamped with his emblem. His hands were wrapped in dirty white bandages and torn in several places, trailing up and into his jacket. Meanwhile, his forearms were protected by a simple pair of silver bracers, clasped(?) tightly over the sleeves.

Finally, on his neck was a small, golden chain where a hexagonal, amethyst locket hung, flanked by a pair of dull, grey, oval pieces of metal and a pair of red rings with black engravings.

Then, one of the students finally managed to muster some courage and answered. "Hi!" began Ruby in a cheerful chirp, "We're Team RWBY and Team JNPR of Beacon Academy! We had just finished fending off another attack in the city centre when we heard reports of another horde here. So we decided to come over and help! But it looks like you and your... ship had it covered." Being at the forefront, none of her schoolmates saw it but Lelouch did. When she looked at the ship, _the HMS Pinafore_, he saw those eyes. Eyes similar to what Lloyd got when it came to new pilot data materials.

Great. Another engineering nut.

She also seemed somewhat proud of their defence of the city. So he pushed further. Profiles only went so far, firsthand experiences always exceeded them.

"Wow! You guys just came over from another fight?" he exclaimed in (faux) surprise. "How brave of you! It must have been tough!" he said with a good-natured smile.

Her eyes brightened, not unlike a child eyeing their favourite candy. _Hook_

A toothy grin broke out on her face and she took a breath, her tiny body shaking and trembling with barely-held excitement. _Line_

And when she spoke, he knew he had her. _And Sinker_

"I KNOW RIGHT?! WE WERE IN A TRAIN IN MOUNT GLENN BUT THEN IT CRASHED INTO THE MIDDLE OF VALE AND WE WERE LIKE *CRASH*! THEN WE WERE SURROUNDED BY GRIMM. BUTTHENWEWEREALLLIKE*HWAAAH!WACHAWH!SKRRRAATSKRRAT! AND THEN…" Her comrades groaned in annoyance, knowing they could not stop the excitable fifteen-year-old now. 'There she goes again,' thought Yang mournfully. It was like fate decided to crap on them today. 'Why?' she mentally moaned to the heavens. 'Why?!'

And so Ruby Rose prattled on and on, shrugging off multiple attempts to stop her exaggerated recalling. Even Weiss failed, receiving a flailing hand to the face for her efforts. Much to Lelouch's genuine amazement, the speedy teen's semblance really shined through at times.

Like now.

'Didn't think I'd see a half-hour battle summarised in 5 minutes' mentally chuckled Lelouch. The pain on her friends' faces only amused him more. 'Perhaps Schneizel was right on me being a sadist.' pondered the boy. Nonetheless, he was barely able to keep up with her pace and by the end, he was surprised to have felt relieved.

"Hey, you mentioned the Vytal Festival Tournament just now," pointed out Nora. "So that must mean that you have a team! So," she declared with a pointed finger, "when do we get to see them!? Are they super cool and strong like you are?! Do they kick ass and take names?! Do they-" a hand clamped over her mouth and her eyes widened in shock, with only muffled mumbles being heard.

"I think what my partner meant to say was 'Whe-" began Ren. Suddenly, he recoiled his hand from Nora's mouth, a thick coating of clear viscous fluid dripping from it. "...Did you just lick my hand? Again?" he asked incredulously.

A raspberry and a pout was what he got from the Valkyrie.

With a sigh (and a wipe on his pants), he continued. "As I was saying, Where's the rest of your team?"

With a deep breath, Lelouch pressed his weight onto his sword and, with a grunt of effort, pushed himself up to stand. Then his arms reached up, linked together and with a brief "hold on!", he stretched his back, twisting this way and that way, the audible ***CRACK*** making the Beacon pupils wince. With a flourish, he plucked his sword from the still-dissipating creep with a wet ***SQUELCH*** and sheathed it on his back.

"That's better," sighed Lelouch contentedly. "Thanks for that reminder by the way," he replied, receiving a nod in response. He then tapped his earpiece and spoke.

"Gino, Suzaku, Rolo! Form up on my position! We're securing the LZ!"

'Wait a minute, Rolo? What's he got to do with-'

"You may want to step back a bit," warned Lelouch as he reached for his back. Pulling out a red stick, which they recognised as a flare, he hiked out of the crater with a tired limp in his step. He continued walking from the crater, looking for a large enough space for the landing shuttle, untouched by the conflict. All the while, the students, who climbed out of the hole themselves, watched as he stopped, uncapped the flare and struck it against its cap. After a few tries, it lit up in a shower of sparks, a column of orange smoke rising from the tip.

Faintly aware of the enclosing atlesians, Lelouch waved the flare in the air a few times before placing it on the ground before him. Now he just had to wait for his team. 'I wonder what's taking so long?'

"Lelouch!" crackled Gino's voice over their communications, "I'm seeing several atlesians in the vicinity. They friendly?"

"Stand down guys, they're on our side. It's safe." replied the raven-haired boy.

"Well that's a relief then," echoed Suzaku's voice from his left. Turning to the source, he saw his longtime friend limp out from an alley, probably from his sector. He was leaning on the brick wall to his right and looked like hell, his mussed brown hair singed and messy. Lelouch mentally noted the burn damage seen on his friend, leaving his outerwear in charred tatters to reveal a black tank top. His pants were better off, suffering some slight scuffing at most, while his weapon, sheathed in its hilt and fastened to a metal bandolier with what seemed to be rails, was held in his free hand.

"Good to see you made it out alive," replied Lelouch as he rushed to his friend's aid. Hoisting an arm over his shoulder, Lelouch helped Suzaku out from the alley, getting a tired "thanks", and hobbled him over to the others.

"Wasn't expecting a welcoming party this big, Lelouch! You could've at least told us!" rasped out a hoarse voice from atop a nearby pile of rubble. Snapping to the source, the Atlesians trained their rifles, prepared to fire. It was only the frantic de-escalation on Lieutenant Hail's part that allowed the Britannian student approach them, albeit cautiously .

"Gino! Was everything alright on your end?" said Lelouch as he helped Suzaku sit down next to the medic. Much like Suzaku, his outfit was ravaged by battle, deep gouges made into his blue torso armour and his pants torn in random areas. His armaments seemed to come in a pair, with one apparently attached to his left forearm while the other hung by a holster on a simple brown belt. His face was a mess too, a dried-up gash and blood trail staining his left temple. Splotches of soot and dust-covered only his upper face, curiously enough. The wind ruffled his hair, two of his small braids left flowing while a loose lock of hair blew about in place of what was presumably the third.

The blonde boy turned to his leader and replied, with a thumbs up, "Everything was good on my end buddy! Just had a few civilians to evac. It was fine otherwise. Throat hurts though." He coughed and rubbed his neck after that as if to accentuate his pained state.

A tossed canteen of water was caught and with a grateful nod and raise, Gino greedily chugged down the ambrosia. Meanwhile, Lelouch walked out, his face etched with a hint of worry.

'Where could he be?' pondered Lelouch. By now, the teams had crowded around him with a load of new questions, having arrived a few minutes ago with the atlesians. From the senior Team CVFY to half of SSSN, the supporting forces converged on their position, curious to see these newcomers. He couldn't care less though. Where was his little brother?

As the ravenette stood, scanning the buildings for his final member, the Beacon students slowly came out of their stupor. For one snow-white girl, her awestruck, speechless state was replaced by one of anger and indignation.

'Britannians? What are they doing here?! After all they've done?! They dare?!' Slowly, her face began to burn red, a smouldering glare levelled at the presumed leader.

If looks could kill, she would no longer be known as "Ice Queen".

Whilst the white member of Team RWBY glared in anger, her black teammate was much the opposite. Her gaze was one of adoration and wonder, entranced by the raven-haired boy.

'Britannia? As in the 'allowing Faunus into nobility' Britannia?!' gawked Blake. She had only ever heard rumours of the "Fifth Kingdom", hushed whispers among White Fang ranks and her friends back in Menagerie. A kingdom of exiles and outcasts, one that stood against the four kingdoms and held its own. One where Faunus were said to have gained equal rights and, if the rumours were true, could even ascend the ranks of nobility. As fantastical as that would be, that was all it was to them. A fantasy.

Until now.

'Should I ask him?' pondered the cat faunus. Just as she was about to approach him, her ears perked up, picking up a soft ticking and whizzing. What could it be?

Out of nowhere, a loud cry of "Lelouch!" echoed through the air, causing his face to wash over with relief. As he, along with the rest of the small crowd, turned towards the roofs, a black blur shot over the lip of a nearby building. A soft ***WHIZZ*** and metallic ***CLANK*** rang through the air as a silver line shot out to a nearby streetlight, a curved metal object wrapping around the bar. The line pulled itself taught and as the black figure swung in the air, a soft ticking could be heard. As they watched, it seemed to pull itself closer to the lamp as it swung.

'Steel cabling? Grappling hook functions?! Who is this guy?' wondered Ruby with stars in her eyes.

As it reached the upswing, the silver line stopped retracting, going loose as the figure reached its apex. Then it landed on the bar, crouched on all fours. And so there stood (crouched?) an exhausted and happy Rolo Lamperouge, Ruby's mystery dance partner and point of teasing for Yang, dressed in black and grey. He was panting slightly and removed a black beanie from his head, wiping his brow with it and letting his ears spring out.

'Wait a minute. I know him. Isn't that-' "-Rolo?!" called out Ruby. The boy turned to their direction and upon seeing her, gave a jovial wave. At that point, a smack could be heard as Yang's fist met her palm in recognition.

"That's the boy you were dancing with!" pointed out the blonde. Ruby, flushed in response, desperately tried to wave off her curious friends who were probing Yang for details. Much to her chagrin, it was futile. Even Pyrrha was joining in! Oh, the betrayal! How was she going to get out of this?! All she could really do was hope for the best and focus on the present. So she turned back to the newly arrived Faunus, who had hopped off the light and onto the street.

"Rolo! Thank goodness you're alright!" called out Lelouch in relief, ignoring the chatter of the Beacon students. With a jovial chuckle, he strode over to the feline faunus and gave him a big hug. Once they separated, Lelouch, much to one Yang Xiao Long's amusement, began to fret over Rolo's bumps and bruises, as if he would disappear at any moment.

"Was your sector alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Have you dealt with your Grimm?". Rolo looked elated, proud of himself even, and nodded.

"Yep! All Grimm neutralised! I think." he (not so) confidently replied. That doubt at the end was not missed by Lelouch, who let out a soft sigh and pat Rolo on the shoulder.

"Don't worry," assured the ebon haired boy, "we'll find any stragglers. I'm just glad you're safe."

Suddenly, a howl pierced through the air, causing all gazes to turn on a nearby alley. A lone beowolf had stood at the entrance, having followed the swift boy back to his friends. It let out a roar in challenge, lowered its body and charged towards the gathering, ready to fulfil an ancient and innate desire.

It didn't make much ground.

The bark of a firearm saw the beast meet its end, a terminal whine emanating from the body tumbling a small distance ahead via the momentum. Already it was starting to flake off and dissipate. Heads turned to the raven-haired boy, his sheath empty and a rifle held in his hands, tiny wisps of smoke and dust residue flowing from the muzzle. With the flick of a switch and the sound of metal pieces sliding and rearranging themselves, his weapon turned back into a blade and was sheathed. Then he turned back to his younger brother with a raised eyebrow.

"Like that one," he remarked.

"Yeah, sorry about that," meekly apologised Rolo. His face burned as he looked down in embarrassment. What if someone had been killed because of his negligence? What if a family was broken because he didn't look hard enough? What if-

A sharp flick on his forehead snapped him out of it, literally. He looked up to see his elder brother, a look of slight annoyance on his face. "Rolo, calm down. You're hyperventilating again."

"Well, it's not like you don't."

With a deadpan expression, Lelouch paused for a moment before he retorted, "Touché, but I can control myself. You, on the other hand, need to get ahold of yourself." That observation made Rolo's face flush once more in shame.

'Oh no. He looks so sad!' thought Ruby. She wished she could go over and console him but the conversation seemed private. All she could do was watch and hope for the best.

"Hey," consoled Lelouch, "I don't expect you to perform to the best standards imaginable. All I ask is that you put in your best and trust your allies, like me, our team and the crew to look out for your blindspots. Alright? It's normal to miss out a few."

"Sorry," muttered the younger boy. He continued to look down, unable to make eye contact. His ears were folded so low they were nigh flush to his scalp.

"Remember what I said when I started training you?" asked Lelouch. A silent nod was his brother's response but was enough for him to continue.

"We can't help everyone. We can't save everyone. So we do the next best thing and-"

"-try to save as many as possible," finished Rolo. His brother's little counselling session seemed to work, his previously gloomy mood now gone and replaced by a comforted one.

"You alright now? Feeling better?" asked Lelouch, satisfied that he pulled his brother out of his slump."

Tears leaking from his eyes, Rolo wiped them away and gave a nod. With that, Lelouch let out a comforting grin and ruffled his little brother's hair, much to the latter's annoyance (and amusement), waving off his elder brother's offending limb. Despite his apparent irritation, his mood was visibly better, if his now-perked up ears indicated anything. It was a heartwarming sight for the onlooking 15-year-old.

'Awwww! How cute!' squealed Ruby internally. Suddenly, everything was quiet. She looked around, confused and wondered, 'Why did everyone stop talking? Why's everyone staring at me? Did I do something wrong? Wait. Don't tell me that-'

"I was thinking out loud again wasn't I?" asked Ruby rhetorically. Yang's muffled chuckles behind her confirmed her suspicions and her shoulders slumped in defeat, her head hung in the, according to Ruby, **"UTTER HUMILIATION"**. Oh, the horror! Her social life was over! She shivered under their gazes, feeling naked as a newborn with all the amused attention on her.

Just then, a new pair of chuckles were heard. Looking up, she blushed in embarrassment when she realised it was Rolo and his brother that were laughing, their shoulders shaking in mirth. "My apologies," began Lelouch as he calmed himself, "but that was absolutely adorable. May I know your name, miss?" As he said that, he walked up to her, took her hand and left a light kiss on it, which left her flushed and stuttering, at a loss for words.

Seeing her sister's predicament, Yang was about to step in, both to save her sibling as well as pick up on even more blackmail for later (though she would never admit to the second reason). However, Headmaster Ozpin clearing his throat left her taking every ounce of effort to not jump and yelp in surprise. When did he arrive? She looked behind him and saw the rest of the faculty. When did any of them arrive?! Collecting herself, she peered behind them, only to see the previous debris that blocked the streets now pushed to the side.

'Must've taken a ride' thought Yang.

"As comedic and... youthful as miss Rose's statement was," spoke Ozpin, causing students to silence their chatter, as well as seeing two foreign pupils scramble to stand (much to the displeasure of the medics), "it is heartwarming to see such a brotherly display. It is a pleasure to meet the rest of Mr Lamperouge's team, who represent their school and Kingdom. And please, gentlemen," he said to Gino and Suzaku, "don't risk your wellbeing and treatment just for appearances. No need to stand." With a bow, the two sat back down in the transports, letting the medics do their work.

Moving away from Ruby, who was the subject of Rolo's slight concern at her dazed state, Lelouch replied, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Headmaster." He reached out his hand and gave a firm handshake to Ozpin before he continued. "I must apologise for our ragged appearance. It would have been preferable to meet you at our best. Unfortunately, that obviously is not the case."

Ozpin let a moment of silence hang in the area, analysing the tall boy in front of him. Then he let out a tiny grin and spoke, satisfied with what he saw, "No need to apologise, young man. As nice as it would have been to see your team crisp and clean, this is better. What better way to show cooperation between our homes than having your team aid my students and this city in its defence? I'd argue that this display is better than any meeting in my office and for that, I must thank you on behalf of Vale."

"You don't need to thank us, Headmaster. Thank you for the praise but it is our duty to protect the public from the Grimm, no?" spoke Lelouch. The principal nodded sagely.

"I suppose you are right. But nonetheless, you have our gratitude. I must ask, however, why are you still waiting here? You should be getting checked up." pointed out Ozpin.

"Of course I should. But I must await my liege fir-" the whine of aircraft engines cut short Lelouch's answer. Looking up, everyone saw a gold-trimmed, royal blue shuttle exit the airship and make it way down, It seemed to be a modified bullhead with additional armour plating and a regal finish, with the banner of Britannia proudly flying on an antenna. It was a government ship.

"Please excuse me and my team, Headmaster, but duty calls." Saying his piece, Lelouch strode with purpose towards the flare he dropped, flanked by his teammates, who likewise responded when they saw the incoming shuttle. With a fluidity that screamed hours of practice and high chemistry, they lined up on either side. Rolo stood with his brother and Suzaku with Gino. To Ruby, not only was this a chance to see more BUT she also noticed them taking their weapons. 'Could it be?' she gasped internally, 'that I'll get to see their weapons? THE BABIES?!' She giggled darkly at the thought, one that took a bop to the head from Yang to snap out of.

Just then, the whine of engines could be heard as the vessel landed on the street. However, what was more eye-catching were the, in Nora's words, **"GIANT FREAKING ROBOTS"** that escorted the shuttle on its descent before ascending to the airship above. Ruby could only drool and mutter about the things she would do to one of those. She would've continued, too, if not for Yang bopping her AGAIN.

Meanwhile, the boys stood at parade rest as the ship landed between them. With a hydraulic hiss, the bay doors lowered and a resounding *clomp clomp clomp* of boots announced the diplomat's security detail, emerging from the surprisingly well-lit hold. Marching out of the mist were half a dozen soldiers in black armour, though their right shoulder was trimmed with gold. In lockstep, they moved forward, their rifles held tightly to their bodies as they silently secured the area for their liege, bayonets affixed and glinting in the sun. Behind them came a man, roughly 5'9". He had rose gold hair and was dressed in a blue-green, double-breasted uniform. He had a pistol strapped to his side and held a tablet in his hands.

Stopping in the middle of the lane the four boys had created, lengthened by the soldiers that stood at attention after them, he took a deep breath and spoke.

"Announcing the arrival of His Highness, Prime Minister and Second Prince of Britannia, Schneizel el Britannia!" he blared out. Stepping aside, he let his lord walk down the ramp and past him, coming into the public's view. Whilst this happened, the four boys knelt in synch, their right knee on the ground along with their left fist while the right forearm was crossed over the chest. Or in the case of the swordsmen, their blades were drawn and tips placed on the asphalt, their left hands gripping the hilts of their upright weapons.

He was tall, about 6'7", had blonde hair and a pair of cold, violet eyes, which were dotted by scaly growths under them. He was dressed in a purple, double-breasted blazer and an open, flowing, white overcoat with black lining, a high collar, a maroon inside as well as golden trim, epaulettes and split tails. He had a white cravat and gloves on, along with a white belt and white pants. On his belt, there hung what seemed to be a white and gold sceptre, with four blue, gold-trimmed, spiked prongs with a crystalline centrepiece barely poking out from his right hip. More notably, his left forearm looked slightly bulkier, with two silver rings on his left-hand connected to thin cords leading up his sleeve.

Further behind him, another six identical soldiers marched down behind him. They marched as one to the end of the lane, where Ozpin and his entourage stood, curious Beacon students and Atlas personnel peeking from further back. Just then, the sound of reporters and news teams buzzing around on-site came into their awareness. 'They must have given the all-clear' thought Jaune as he watched the exchange unfold.

"Headmaster Ozpin," greeted Schneizel with a handshake, "I must apologise for our delayed arrival and the circumstances of our meeting. A Grimm horde popped up in one of the shared islands and since we were there, we had to quell it."

Ozpin shook his head with some mirth. "No need to apologise, Your Highness. Your trainee huntsmen team has already done so. And I must say, they have impressed me with this defence. Something tells me that this will be the start of a fruitful relationship with your kingdom." he said with hidden anticipation in his voice. Meanwhile, the soft clicks of camera shutters and the reports of eager journalists flooded the background. Some even sought to interview the dignitaries but a line formed by the atlesians quickly halted any advances.

Schneizel could only nod his head, ignoring the news teams. "Please, Mr el Britannia is fine. Nonetheless, thank you, headmaster. And I do agree with your hopes for our kingdoms. I'm sure we will prosper together. But first, business. I understand that young Rolo has already delivered the treaty ahead of us, correct?"

"Yes, he did. A well-mannered boy I must say too," replied Ozpin.

"Well, that's good to hear. Also," he turned to the four kneeling boys, "at ease gentlemen." In unison, they stood up and returned to parade rest. Satisfied, he continued.

"Anyway, we need only officiate the treaty by signing it. Also, I have brought with me the other trade agreements between us for signing." spoke the Prime Minister.

"Besides that, I think Beacon would be delighted to indulge in some of our more academic imports. Like our native Grimm, captured for your researching leisure." A perked and excited "HO HO!" could be heard from the back followed by a hushed "Quiet!", an oddly soft *SMACK* and a dejected "Sorry." Ignoring the reactions of Ozpin's entourage, Schneizel carried on.

"Furthermore, we've brought some books on Britannian history as well as our own combat simulator. I hope that your staff and students will find them useful and fruitful in future studies. Think of them as tokens of our newly formed relationship, which I hope will last."

The mention of books had Dr Oobleck, who had been previously comforting an embarrassed Port, snap to attention, standing ramrod straight, while the combat simulator took Glynda's attention away from the Grimm studies professor, who she had been in the middle of disciplining.

"There is one more matter that needs to be addressed," mentioned Ozpin. With a quirked eyebrow, the prince motioned for him to continue. Inhaling deeply from his nose, he said, "We need to travel inland to the political centre in the city of Dell. I appreciate your arrival here but I'm afraid you will need to travel a bit more before we can officially instate this agreement of Kingdoms. I hope it is no trouble for you."

Schneizel's lips quirked up in amusement before he replied. "It is no problem headmaster. I doubt the _Pinafore_ is suitable for Beacon's bullhead docks. Sad as it may be, our tour of the academy will have to wait. That said, what better way to announce a new age of peace and cooperation than having your people look up and see Britannia's ships gliding among the clouds alongside your Valian fleet?"

"Given the fact that most of the airships at Dell are of the Atlesian fleet, Prime Minister, alongside the fact that many still carry doubts and prejudices against your home, it may not be the best way," replied Ozpin. It was troubling enough to have Atlas ships causing worry, but adding in Britannians?

It would've been easier to skin an Ursa.

Unfortunately, there was not much of a way around it, the council and relevant figures needing to be completely present and all. As if sensing his doubts, Schneizel sought to assuage them.

"I'm sure General Ironwood will be reasonable. With enough communication and demonstrations of goodwill, I can guarantee that the public will have a change of heart, even down to the most vehemently prejudiced. Even then, this just means we have to prove ourselves further, no?" replied the prince.

Thinking pensively, Ozpin decided that both for the sake of peace and the fight against **HER** that he would seek cooperation between the two militant Kingdoms. Just then, Schneizel speaking broke him away from his thoughts.

"With all that said and done, would you and your staff like to tour the _Pinafore_? It will be rudimentary, given that the official tour is a week from now but I'm sure the captain and my father wouldn't mind if for the sake of establishing relations. She's not the largest in the fleet but she is a glimpse of what's to come. We can ferry you to Dell and back too if you would like that."

Just as he was about to respond, a high-pitched squeal tore through the air, its screeching so piercing to the ear that even the atlas troops, in all their protective armour, cringed and winced in pain.

"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEE! ME ME ME ME ME ME! I WANNA GOOOOOoooooo… Sorry." Ruby's comically excited outburst and her sheepish ending, with a slowed and embarrassed lowering of her hand and the noticeable decrease in **BOUNCE**, left the rest in stitches, her team just barely keeping it together while JNPR let out occasional snorts. As for Team CVFY, Sun and Neptune, they bellowed in laughter, though to their credit they tried their best to suppress it and stifle their giggles.

She suddenly found her feet a lot more interesting, hugging herself in reassurance from the embarrassment and pouting in some attempt to hold back her emotions. Seeing her sister's duress, Yang quickly calmed herself, reached over and gently patted Ruby's head. "There there," she comforted, "it's not that bad. Not as if you're gonna have your rep smeared or whatever."

"B-But normal knees.." muttered Ruby.

"I'm sure you'll get it in time, Rubes! I know you will," reassured Yang. Patting her on the head, she continued. "Don't worry, squirt. Your time will come. You'll have your normal knees in no time!" reassured Yang with her regular gusto.

Taking a step back, Yang was satisfied to see a cheered up Ruby. At the same time, the scythe wielder spoke, with great confidence, "I'm not a squirt! I drink milk!" Yang's only response was to ruffle her younger sister's black mop and smile comfortingly.

Suddenly, her gentle reassuring smile turned devious, her lips threatening to split with just how wide they seemed to spread.

Uh oh.

"Soooooooooo, Ruby. My sweet little sister Ruby. Did I tell you that you're my favouritest sibling in the woooorllld?" began Yang. Her younger sister groaned in dread and grief. Not this again! Whenever Yang used that tone, it's because she wanted to know something. It worked on her then but dang it if it would affect her now! (she would need a cookie to fall for it.)

"I'm not saying anything, Yang. My answer is NO."

"I'll give you a double chocolate cookie for-"

"What do you need to know?!" demanded Ruby, eyes alight with anticipation.

She needed her fix! SHE WANTED HER COOKIE.

With a cocksure smirk, Yang took the advantage. "I distinctly remember you being especially social during the dance last week. With one person in particular. Say for example… cat boy over there?"

"I-i mean W-we. Yes we! We were just umm…" stuttered Ruby.

"My, my. What's this I hear about young Rolo?" asked a deep voice. A shadow covered them and the two turned, faintly aware of the sudden berth their friends gave them. They looked up and saw, of all people, the prime minister himself tower over them!

When did he get there?!

"Oh how rude of me! I've forgotten to introduce myself." He then proceeded to bow as he continued. "Greetings. I'm Schneizel el Britannia. Second prince and prime minister of the Kingdom of Britannia. Who might you two brave young ladies be?"

As he said this, he took Ruby's hand. And much like Lelouch before him, he kissed it.

"R-ruby Rose, your nighmes- I mean your highness!" nervously replied Ruby as she tried (and failed) to curtsy, much to the Britannians' amusement. What was with Britannians and hand-kissing?! Her face burned a tomato red in embarrassment.

"Ooh, Ruby! Two kisses in one day already?" teased Yang. In her flustered daze, the younger daughter of Taiyang did not realise what she said next till it was too late.

"Third one...Rolo too" ground out Ruby.

"Ho ho! At the dance as well? Oh, I can't believe my little sister is such a charmer! What would dad say about this?" teased Yang. While Ruby burned an even deeper red, Lelouch couldn't help but be forcefully reminded of a certain blonde friend of his back home. She even had the 'queen bitch' laugh down.

The resemblance was uncanny.

"And you are, fair maiden?" asked Schneizel. Like with Ruby, he took Yang's hand and placed a kiss on its back. Though unlike her younger sister, she took it in her stride.

"Yang Xiao Long," she replied. While Ruby flushed at such comments, Yang revelled in it, enjoying every minute of the spotlight.

"Xiao Long and Rose. Half-sisters then?" questioned Schneizel. He, like the paladins, has already read their files. Nonetheless, he wanted to form one for himself.

"Yep. Any problem with that?" asked the buxom blonde. While she enjoyed the attention, she was ready to defend her sibling to the end.

"None at all. I have a few of them myself actually. I can tell you're ready to defend her. A commendable trait, one we do not see enough of today, unfortunately."

"O-oh. Thank you. Sorry about that."

"No offence taken. So, Yang Xiao Long? The little dragon of light. I must say, such a name suits a fearsome and fiery beauty like you."

"Oh stop it you!" replied a flattered Yang with a hand on her cheek. She tried to wave him away dismissively (at least as cordially as she could make it), yet she practically basked in the praise and flattery. If all Britannians treated her this way, she would have achieved the princess fantasy all girls had at some point in time.

'I could get used to this,' she sighed internally.

Schneizel smirked. It was always fun to see their reactions to his comments. But alas, his duty to his nation called to him. And it came in the form of the headmaster.

"Your Highness, perhaps it is best we move on to Dell to get the treaty done?" pushed Ozpin. As fun as it was to watch the interactions between his students and the dignitary, peace, like it's estranged cousin time, waited for no man.

"Of course headmaster, my apologies." Turning back to Yang, the 2nd prince said his parting words. "I assure you, miss Xiao Long. Comments of such nature will be the norm for you, that I'm certain of. Nonetheless, I wish you and your compatriots the best. Good day." Having said his piece, he began to walk back to the bullhead's ramp, hands clasped behind his back. Stopping just short of it, he turned to his right, where the jet black paladin stood.

"Lelouch Lamperouge."

A sharp click of the heels and a bark of "Your Highness!" came in response.

"Good work on the defensive here. You've done well to make a good impression. Keep it up."

"Thank you, your Highness!"

"After the treaty is signed, perhaps we'll have time to converse. We must speak about your mother. And for Oum's sake, get yourself cleaned up man!"

"Yes, my lord!"

"Excellent. If that would be all, gentlemen, you are free to mingle, make friends and get used to the new environment for the Vytal Festival. Your bags will be sent to Beacon for your collection and I wish you all the best in the tournament. Good day to you." With that, he retreated into the shuttle, followed by his aide, his guards and Ozpin, along with Glynda and Dr Oobleck. Meanwhile, the atlesians, deeming the situation suitable for journalists, let the news teams through. They surged towards the shuttle, hoping to get a comment or opinion from the present authority figures on the morning's events for their next big scoop. But alas, to no avail. They were too slow.

With a hiss, the ramp closed and the aircraft lifted off, ascending to the airship for the flight inland. Meanwhile, a medic finally managed to get ahold of Lelouch and his injured teammates and guide them to a nearby troop carrier for treatment. As the Beacon students watched the airship lazily cruise into the distance, over Beacon tower, their attention was drawn away with a loud yawn.

Turning to the source, they were greeted with the sight of Rolo, doing surprisingly flexible stretches with the now spent flare in his hand. Realising the attention on him, he put his arms down. An awkward silence persisted between the students, only broken by a meek suggestion from Ruby following a loud belly growl.

"You guys wanna get something to eat?"

That single utterance drew the attention of awestruck journalists, who up until then were staring at the Pinafore make its way inland. And so, they descended like a committee of vultures upon the poor trainee huntsmen. As they closed in on them, Jaune managed to aptly convey pretty much everyone's thoughts in two words.

"Oh crapbaskets."

**I should point out a few things right now. Britannia is the dragon continent that RT seems to never use. Visualisation is always an issue when it comes to fics so I hope my descriptions were sufficient. For those that were rudimentary, I plan to elaborate in further chapters. That said, I encourage your imagination to fill in the gaps that I can't since everyone's visualisation tends to be unique.**

**Charles will be a decent dad in this fic and I'm downsizing the royal family as well as shrinking the age gaps a bit. You can probably guess who I'm keeping in the family.**

**I'll try to inject a bit of culture in Britannia and most of them will be based on (or at least attempt to resemble) major European cultures (eg Scottish, German, French etc). Also, original Grimm ideas, rejoice.**

**Lastly, if it's not too much trouble, I need your help. The team acronym is LRSG (not in that order save for 'L', which must come first from what I recall) but I'm having trouble coming up with a name for them. I did not realise how difficult naming could be and now have a newfound appreciation for it. Put your suggestions into the reviews!**

**On that same note, what should Lelouch's semblance be called? I've set up a poll in my profile for you to vote in.**

**With not much else, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and until next time, stay safe and enjoy yourselves. All the best in whatever you do!**


	5. Exposition and unwanted listeners

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry about not updating in such a long time. (I don't exactly have a schedule). A lot of other commitments were taking up my time. So as an apology, here's a long chapter! I tried a few new things here and I would like to hear your thoughts! I hope all of you are in good health and staying safe during this scary time. Take heart, be socially responsible and do your part to keep your communities safe. We WILL get through this.**

**Before we continue, I'll answer some questions.**

**Oliver Otter1: I hope you like this chapter.**

**ChunkyFunkyMunky: Thanks for your suggestion! Was really at wit's end trying to come up with a name. Alas, I could not find something more directly related to colour but it is what it is.**

**Coment9: Thanks for coming up with the first suggestion for the team name! Unfortunately, Chunky's won out. Still, thanks for the input!**

**Ewerton Da Silva Rodrigues: Hopefully this answers your questions sufficiently.**

**XT3100: Oof. Sorry dude/dudette but I don't plan for her to be Lelouch's gf. Tbh she wasn't going to be a major part of this fic. Hope you can forgive me. However, your review gave me some ideas for future chapters.**

**werwolffr (Guest): Thanks!**

**With regards to XT3100's comment: I'm not sure whether I said this previously but I DO NOT plan for C.C to be in this fic. It's not that I hate her or the pairing for that matter. It''s just that narrative-wise, she would feel very shoehorned. On that note, the powers of Geass DO NOT EXIST within the bounds of this fic.**

**Alright. I've said my piece. As always do let me know if I missed any glaring grammar errors (I'll make amendments in the future) or anything else of the like. All pointers are welcome! (Also please be gentle in the reviews, if possible) Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**Now, onto the fic!**

**Note (must I do this?): I own nothing except for any OC material.**

(Warning: This fic is EVEN MORE dialogue intensive)

Uploaded: 05/05/20 Last edited: 10/05/20 (Poll cycling)

Chapter 4

In contrast to the violent, chaotic dawn that the city of Vale awoke to, the late morning was much more tranquil. Despite the havoc wreaked upon the city by the beasts beyond its walls, birds sang and its citizens milled about as if the roads hadn't been torn asunder. Truly, the city was at peace, its residents safe and no threats in sight. Chaos, panic, intimidation and other feelings of fear found no place in the city after its defence that day,

***GARFF* *CHOMP* *SLURP* *CRUNCH***

Almost.

While they were hungry, most of the trainee huntsmen and huntresses of Beacon seemed to have lost their appetite after seeing the display in front of them.

Three members of JNPR lightly snacked on sandwiches, having already eaten breakfast. Team RWBY, having not eaten anything before their early morning pursuit, ate heartily.

Meanwhile, their Britannian peers, patched up from the fight and still wearing their wrecked clothes (and Nora), sat across from them, INHALING a comically large mountain of food. The students were stunned by their acquaintances' hunger, a nearby stack of plates testament to that. Luckily for their wallets, the owner of the eating joint was an ex-Huntsman and more than happy to let them eat free as thanks. One can imagine that the hungry teens abused this privilege as much as they could, not that he minded really. Meanwhile, a television hung in the corner outside of the entrance, tuned in to the new channel and relaying the morning's events to the patrons of the cafe.

The trainee huntsmen were a sight to behold for the other patrons of the diner, with the occasional Vale denizen coming up to thank them for their defence. "How do you handle all the attention Pyrrha?" asked a curious Ruby. After the initial high she felt from all the praise, each and every "Thank you!" and "You're so brave!" began to get on her nerves. That's not to say that she enjoyed being seen as a hero! It's just that she wanted to eat in peace and not have to stop every time to answer or take a picture and give a smile or hold a conversation with an overly grateful civilian or-

"You need to have some faith Ruby," consoled Pyrrha. The little scythe wielder snapped out of her self debate and turned to the hoplite. "Just remember that your actions are the reason they are alive. Take joy that you played a part in keeping them safe and you'll never get bored of it."

"But what about the attention? I mean it's nice and all but I wanna eat!"

"Well you just have to grin and bear it," scoffed Weiss. "Besides, take it from an heiress. You WILL get used to it."

"She is correct," admitted Pyrrha. "You eventually do learn how to handle them in your own little way. The crowds just want to get up and close with their idols and have their thanks and appreciations heard. Hopefully they won't be too much trouble."

That last part was barely whispered.

"Don't go jinxing us now, Miss Nikos. Though those are some wise words," chimed in the black haired britannian as he bit down on some toast. His retort got a surprised "eep!" from Pyrrha and drew the attention of the Beacon students across the table towards their guests.

The britannians stood out in particular. In contrast to the relatively clean Beacon students, they looked like, in the words of their blond member, shit. Bandages, plasters and dressing galore adorned their figures. Their skin had the sheen of recently applied salves and their sunken eyes had small but noticeable purple bags under them. With the battle over, they were now in a state of undress, their weapons against the wall behind them. Lelouch had shed his armoured jacket, baldrick and chest piece, leaving him in his red t-shirt with most of his sweat dried off and a pair of sleeves on his elbows. He had also disposed of his hand bandages, revealing bruised, purple knuckles. While his kit hung on the back of his chair behind him, he absentmindedly scratched his cheek plaster as he ate.

To his right, the blond had put away his own carapace, settling down to eat with a forest green shirt. Underneath was a black, long-sleeved compression piece while a thick, red and blue checkered band wrapped around his left arm, sticking out like a sore thumb. His forehead was wrapped up with a bandage, a little bulge of gauze over his gash. Behind him, a tattered set of webbing lay draped over the back of his chair and a blue, battered chestpiece and pauldrons underneath his chair.

His left saw the mistrali boy, who seemed content with his current attire, only untying his gauntlets, which he left hanging on his weapon, before digging in. Noticeably, his arms were wrapped in bandages now, with cooling salves below to soothe his burns.

Rolo, meanwhile, was without his beanie, his hoodie unzipped for a simple brown shirt to be shown underneath.

Surprisingly, for their seemingly exhausted state, they looked well enough to not only come to a diner to eat but also hold a conversation with the Beacon students.

"How do you guys eat so much?!" gawked Jaune. It was normal for those around their age to have monstrous appetites, true, but this was insane. 'Barbarians' Weiss thought ruefully.

'Though they did save the people of Vale,' she paused. Pushing away a prejudice born from countless news reports of war far away and the anger she had felt as death tolls poured in and families wept, she supposed that they could be given a chance. 'After all, if I can do that for Blake and the White Fang, I can do it for them too', she reasoned.

Their black-haired leader, Lelouch if she remembered correctly, swallowed a mouthful of cereal before he spoke up. As he did, he scratched his cheek plaster to soothe an annoying itch.

"Well on top of us being hungry teenagers, we haven't had breakfast, have just fought off a Grimm horde, we need to eat for our bodies to heal and dinner last night was minimal. After all, as the saying goes: Breakfast like a king,"

"Lunch like a prince," continued the mistrali looking boy.

"Dinner like a pauper," finishes the tall blond.

"Except we prefer if all three men were kings, which is usually what happens," quipped the youngest among the quartet.

"What they said!" butt in Nora, waving a pancake drenched in syrup. The little gathering laughed at her contribution, and when it died down, Ren stepped up to the plate to do his duty of reining in his excitable friend.

"Hey Nora," asked Ren in trepidation, "what exactly is that syrup?"

"I dunno," she replied with a mouthful of pancake, "see for yourself." She slid a bottle of the suspiciously dark red ooze over to Ren.

Taking his time to read the label, his only response came moments later in the form of a mournful and depressed comment. "Oum dammit," he uttered. Was he crying?

A painful silence permeated among the Beacon students, imagining the horror that made the stoic JNPR member say that while the Britannians (having roughly deduced what would happen in the near future) managed to hide their amusement quite well. While his team leader reached over to comfort Ren with a gentle pat on the back, Blake, wanting to pull away from the subject, chose to speak.

"Soooo," began Blake, sipping on some tea, "I hear that you got Ruby to dance with you. How was it?" she asked, directing her gaze to the smallest member of the foreign team. The other students turned to Rolo, who was currently stuffing a rasher of bacon into his mouth.

Meanwhile, Ruby, in the middle of a plate of cookies that Yang ordered for her (which she INSISTED was a proper breakfast, Weiss and her dIEtarY RecOMmeNdATioNs could shut up) choked and sputtered out cookie crumbs, shocked by the sudden question. As Yang thumped her sister's back, eager to hear the boy's answer at the same time, she reached over and gave Ruby her tall glass of milk, which was chugged down quickly.

Rolo, set down his fork, wiped his mouth and drank his apple juice before replying.

"Well, my toes are actually still a little sore."

His shy yet unknowingly deadpan take left most of the table sputtering in surprise, sans his teammates, who let out little chuckles. Ruby's face flushed deeper while Yang let out a soft giggle that quickly escalated into her laughing heartily, banging the tabletop. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she attempted to calm down, ruffling her flustered little sister's black mop.

"Awww, my widdle Wuby is getting social!" she teased. "Your knees must've been paper, 'cause you were TEARABLE!"

The awkward silence hung heavy in the air, the tearable pun (forgive me) killing the mood. Though there was a little giggle from one of the boys. "Eh? Eh?!" she prompted. Still, no reply.

"Yaaang, stop it!" groaned an embarrassed Ruby.

"C'mon Ruby! Don't you Rolo your eyes! You don't know great humour!" quipped the blonde. The sound of laughter trying and failing to be contained was heard as the tallest newcomer (Gino, was it?) spat out some of his scrambled eggs onto his plate. That small release was enough for his teammates to join in, heartily chuckling at the blonde's puns.

"See? They get it!" retorted Yang. Ruby was about to say her piece but was interrupted by the foreign leader. He stood up, wiped his mouth with a nearby napkin and took a long look at the youngest huntress.

"So, you are the one he's said so much about?" Meanwhile, Rolo buried his face in his hands, ready for the worst.

Slowly, Lelouch stalked over to Ruby, the table now silent as they watched in trepidation and curiosity. At the centre of his gaze, Ruby shifted uncomfortably yet felt entranced by his eyes. So when he politely asked "Please stand for me Miss Rose,", she meekly obliged with nought but a squeak of "Okay". She very well could have refused but she felt compelled to heed his command.

He circled her like a predator would its prey, scanning her with his eyes, the sound of his boots on the cafe tiles filling the silence. He had her lift her arms, he measured them, he opened her mouth to look at her teeth and shined a light in her eyes. Meanwhile, the rest of the group watched with fascination. Even Yang, who in any other context would have intervened for her sister. Oddly enough, Rolo seemed annoyed and embarrassed.

Yet she didn't feel like it, partly because she wanted to see how this ended and also because she just loved to see Ruby squirm.

As she was "examined", she hoped that one of her friends would come to her rescue after seeing her in silent distress. Yet none did, which really annoyed Ruby.

She felt so uncomfortable and no one was helping her?! Oh her teammates would pay for this! But what to do? She could confiscate all of Blake's books! Yes, yes. And not the "safe" ones that were in plain sight. Oh, she knew Belladonna's weakness. That FILTH which she knew was hidden in a false bottom in her clothes drawer would have the feline girl grovelling at her knees!

And what about Weiss? She had all her belongings locked up tight. Well her cleanliness and clothes were always a concern for her. Yes, that's it! She would dye the Schnee's clothes neon pink! Oh, the chaos that would reign. Inwardly Ruby began to cackle with glee, following Lelouch's instruction to the bare minimum. A tiny mutter of her plans and a deranged giggle somewhat clued him into her thoughts and his suspicions were confirmed.

'We'll see how successful you are after I'm done with this Ruby,' he mused.

The tiny leader was faintly aware of Lelouch's actions, who currently was measuring her.. leg length? Odd, but she would follow. While she robotically obliged him, she continued to scheme.

'...I could feed Nora a ton of that syrup from earlier to punish Ren! And Jaune? Oh, I'll just take all his clothes and make his wear his onesie on the weekend! Perfect!'

Finally, Yang. Her treacherous sister. What to do? She could do the same as she would to Weiss. But that wasn't enough! She saw the blonde giggle away at her plight! She deserved more! Dye her clothes a hideous colour! Deface her stuff with cookie crumbs! Erase the save file for the games on her scroll! Yes, that would be almost enough. And for the cherry on top, oh she would do the unthinkable!

Put hair dye into the blonde's shampoo, "accidentally" leave some gum in her hair and for her coup de grace, Yang would have a fun midnight meeting with a shaver…

She was brought out of her musings by a waving hand in front of her face. She blinked her eyes and saw Lelouch trying to get her attention.

"Hi Ruby, just need you to do one more thing for me. Is that alright?" he asked. Turns out, he had finished all his "measurements" on her, if the tape in his other hand showed anything.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure."

"Thanks. So, Miss Rose," he said, switching back to a formal tone, "what is your preferred snack food?"

There was a moment of silence as she looked at him like he grew a second head. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked as she frantically gestured to her plate. "Cookies!"

"Hmm, so Rolo was right then," mused Lelouch, with his younger brother remarking, "Told you so!" from the other side of the table. With that, he rolled up his tape, marched to her front, and in a serious voice, addressed the young team leader.

"Miss Rose, following my examinations, I have collated the results and have come to my conclusion. Rolo," he said as he turned to his brother, "I…"

The three boys slowly rose from their seats, their meals temporarily forgotten as they awaited the outcome.

"..approve. Congratulations," he said with a smile.

The mistrali boy and the tall blond leapt in joy and celebration, shaking their youngest teammate, who just sat slumped in his chair, his expression one of mild shock and disbelief. Someone actually passed the test?! Lelouch approved someone?!

Was this a dream?

The blond teammate raised his glass of milk and boisterously toasted, "To a good first relationship!" A round of cheers from his teammates of the same age, plus the excitable Nora and ever tease-loving Yang, ensued. That however managed to spur Ruby into speaking up. As they began to settle back down into their breakfast, she slammed her hands on the table, getting their attention.

"N-now wait just a minute!" she stammered out. Her face was the reddest it had ever been so far, almost matching Pyrrha's hair. "It's not like that! We're not dating or anything we only danced! We're just friends!" she frantically defended.

There was a collective hiss and "oooh" as the older occupants of the table winced in sympathy.

"Ruby!" gasped Yang in mock shock, a hand flopping over her heart, "How could my dear little sister say that! You don't just friendzone a boy like that!" she said as she smooshed Ruby's cheeks and turned her head to across the table. "Look at him! He's all sad now."

Contrary to what Yang said, Rolo was not. He waved his arms around in frantic denial as he gave his own reply. "I-It's no problem. Really!" he began, "She's right. We're not dating or anything. We only met at the ball and hadn't really seen each other till now! We've only just become friends!"

"Riiiggghht," drawled Lelouch as he munched on his waffle. That got some laughs from the students while Rolo pouted in annoyance. "You do realise that one of the duties of the elder sibling is to tease their juniors' about their love lives right?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Yang happily, "Someone gets it! Put 'em there. Up top!" As she and Lelouch celebrated newfound common ground, Rolo decided that enough was enough.

"Well, at least I have some form of a love life! You've never even gone on a date!" lashed out the boy. Much to her glee, Yang had just found something new to tease about.

"Oooooh. So you're telling me that prince charming over here is completely green? Never dated before you say?" she questioned as she wiggled her eyebrows. Lelouch let out a sigh of resignation and drank his milk before answering.

"It is true. I just never really had time for relationships after the… war. I have had crushes though," he said. The blonde winced in sympathy as she listened in interest.

"And when you do get one," interjected Rolo, "I'll tease you to the ends of Remnant. I'll see you burn! You will rue your days of teasing me! I bet that your first partner will be every bit the demon they are!" he cackled. He could see it now, oh the things he would do t-

"Yeah right shortstack," dismissed Lelouch. The younger brother grew red once more and pouted in anger.

"I'm not short, I'm average height! You guys are just freakishly tall!" he furiously defended.

"Well, you should've drunk your milk when you were younger," cut in his mistrali teammate.

"Which is what I do! I'm a big girl!" asserted Ruby.

"We know you are Rubes," replied Yang dismissively.

"Hang on. Rolo, you blast me for my lack of a love life, citing that you have 'some form' of it," stated Lelouch as he steepled his hands. His eyes, sharp and calculating, bore into Rolo's own.

"Uh oh," muttered the mistrali under his breath. Jaune, who was seated across from him, leaned over. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"When Lelouch does something like that, he usually pins someone, if not outright destroys them," answered the mistrali. The students watched the conversation with bated breath. Meanwhile, Rolo could not help but feel a sense of dread, as if he just screwed himself.

"So is there someone else you're seeing or are you and Ruby here more… intimate than you let on?"

'Check and mate, little brother,' he mentally finished.

This time, both subjects sputtered out denials and reaffirmations of "just being friends", which for all parties concerned, was just a ticket for them to tease the two even further.

"Alright, that's enough," spoke Weiss, "surely we can talk about other things than my dolt of a partner's love life right?"

"But Weisscream," whined Yang," I need to do my own exam! If he gets to check out my sister, I get to do the same to his brother!" She then leaned across the table, stretching across to get a closer look of Rolo, much to the Schnee's irritation. Couldn't they focus on something else?! In his flustered state, he failed to move out of the way of a grasping hand that shot forward and took his chin.

"Hmm," mused Yang. She tilted his head from side to side, up and down. "Cute eyes, sharp nose." She pulled his chin down, opening his mouth. "Good teeth."

Seemingly satisfied, she pulled her hand away from the boy and proclaimed, "Well boyo, I think you're just fine for Ruby! I think you'll make a cute couple."

"Yaaanng, stop it! You're embarrassing me!" whined Ruby.

"Aw what's wrong Ruby, don't want to be embawwassed in fwont of your widdle crush?" teased Yang. "Besides," she said as she turned back to face him, "polite, meek, honest, what's not to like?! His cute widdle cat ears are a bonus too!"

"Oh please, M-miss Xiao Long. You're t-too kind!" stammered Rolo, trying to be modest. "Like we've said before, we're only friends! There needs to be time before we can decide if we're ready to...to...to..."

Unfortunately for him, when Rolo tried to look away from the blonde's lilac gaze, he made the mistake of looking down. With her leaning over the table, he got a good EYEFUL of her two glorious fleshy mounds and the valley between. He tried to speak, but his tongue would not respond. As he struggled to finish his sentence, he began to heat up.

"Yo Rolo. Everything alright?" asked the tall blond as he leaned over. He hadn't been paying much attention after Lelouch's retort, instead focusing on his seventh serving of pancakes. He only started listening when Yang began talking about Rolo.

So imagine his surprise when he decided to check on his teammate only to have his jaw drop at the full view of her wonderful... assets. Slowly, he sat back down, clasped his hands together and looked towards the sky.

"Thank you," he whimpered as a lone tear came down. Never let it be said that they were not blessed that day.

"Hey!" barked Yang as she snapped her finger in front of Rolo's stunned face. As he blinked out of his stupor, she continued. "I know, I know, they're amazing but geez! You can only pick one of us and I think Ruby is better suited for you. So no staring at the girls unless..you prefer me?" She said that last bit in a soft and tender tone, sending shivers all over the Britannian team.

"N-no. I don't." stammered out Rolo. "B-but that's not to mean that you don't look good yourself it's just that.."

As he tried to defend himself, he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping his flustered rant short. Looking behind him, he saw Lelouch standing behind him, an amused grin on his face.

"Relax Rolo, she's just teasing you. You don't have to worry about offending her… for now," said Lelouch.

"Can we please just talk about literally anything else?!" butt in Weiss. She couldn't stand this nonsensical banter anymore!

Ignoring Weiss, Yang continued to speak to Rolo as she sat back down in her seat. "You're alright," she said, "However, if you ever make my little sister cry, I will make you regret even meeting her. Got that?" she threatened as she leaned forward, looking menacing.

Though that image wasn't really put across as their attention was drawn to her breasts (again). The red eyes and the glowing hair did help her case though.

Rolo gulped nervously before responding, "Y-yes ma'am!"

And just like that, she switched back from her scary disposition to the carefree, fun-loving blonde they first met at the battle.

"Good boy!" she praised.

"I must agree with Miss Schnee by the way," cut in Lelouch, "As fun as it is to tease our younger siblings concerning their romantic commitments, I admit that it is tiring. Perhaps we can change the subject to something more… relevant to the rest of the table?" He gestured to the rest of the students, who silently watched the exchange unfold as they ate their breakfast.

Yang winced when she realised just how long this had been going on. "Yeah, you're right. We should," she conceded.

"But before we do, you never had a girlfriend right?" she asked.

"Yes as I've said before, I never found the time for a relationship in the past, nor do I encourage one given the tournament in a month's time. However, you are free to act on that information as you wish. Who knows? We may end up together," he replied. Reaching across, he took her hand.

"Mademoiselle," he punctuated as he kissed it. Yang blushed slightly at his ministrations but collected herself. She could revel in the attention later.

"Well then, perhaps we could practice now. For when I do act on it," she coyly replied. Slowly, she prowled across the table from her side to his. His teammates watched in anticipation while the Beacon students watched in curiosity. As they came closer, faces inches apart, the spectators held their breath. Were they about to…? The two could now feel each others' breath. Just a little further and-

"YANG!"

The shout brought them out of their little moment, her little sister now trying to change the topic. "Stop being gross!" she complained, "Now's not the time!"

"And why not Ruby?" cheekily replied Yang as she sat back down. "Scared that you and widdle Wolo will be cowwupted?" she continued. Her little sister's hasty denial was all the confirmation she needed.

"She is right," chimed in Lelouch, "it is hardly the time nor place for… this. Perhaps sometime in the future. And even then it's unlikely."

"I guess you're right," relented Yang with a sigh. "Just remember that my offer still stands, prince charming. We might just have a ball of a time" she said with a flirtatious wink.

It was a pity they were interrupted, but oh well. She could see herself trying again in the next few weeks. Even if she couldn't get him, his teammates would do nicely too. The braided one (Gino was it?) especially.

"Yes. Well, moving onto other topics-" began Lelouch after having finished a fruit bowl.

"FINALLY!" cut in an irate Weiss.

"-do you guys have any plans after this? Just curious to know," he finished.

"I think," said Ruby as she yawned and took a stretch, "we're just gonna head back to our dorms and konk out. What about you JNPR?"

"Eehhh, we're probably going to take about an hour more to rest up before we hit that deputy mission we had before the battle," replied Jaune. The sheriff was just a call away after all.

"And you Lelouch?"

The black-haired boy in question, having just polished off another plate of food (how much did they eat?!), took a sip from his espresso before replying.

"Most likely? We're going to follow Team RWBY and sleep as long as we want. Just need to clear up any paperwork, get our bags, find our room and confirm that we've got free time from our handler. Though we might be due for a media appearance. We're on standby for the prime minister."

A chuckle brought their attention to Lelouch's blond teammate. "That's so like Lelouch," he began, "any chance he gets, he sleeps if there's nothing to do. Just a lazy little fu-"

"Ap!" cut in Lelouch, placing a hand on his shoulder. He threw a thumb to the Beacon students, to Ruby in particular. "Kids around," he stated. His teammate's eyes widened with understanding and with slowly, the leader removed his hand.

"Fffuuuuuuu-dgesicle!" finished the blond.

"Nice save," sarcastically remarked Rolo.

"Hey um, quick question," probed Ruby, "we never actually learnt your names so could you introduce yourselves to us… please?" She faded into a nervous mutter at the end. She just made these friends. She didn't want to lose them!

"That… is true actually. Can't believe we forgot that," said Lelouch. He took another sip of his coffee and stood up.

"Right, well," he started, "We're Team LRGS (Largesse). I think you already know me but I'll introduce myself again. I'm Lelouch Lamperouge, the leader of this motley crew."

"Hello!" greeted Rolo with a wave, "My name's Rolo. Rolo Lamperouge. I'm Lelouch's younger brother."

"And Ruby's boyfriend," coughed out Yang.

"SHUT UP!" exclaimed Ruby as she shook her sister by the arms.

"Anyway," chimed in Lelouch, "this swordsman here is my partner, Suzaku Kururugi." He gestured to his side, towards the now named mistrali (presumably). The boy with bandaged arms gave a wave of his own, swallowing his toast before acknowledging them with a polite "Greetings!"

"Nice to meet you Suzaku," said Jaune as he reached over for a handshake. "Hope your arms will get better in time for the tournament."

"Oh! Thank you for the well wishes," spoke Suzaku, " but I'm sure they'll be fine by the end of the week, especially with aura."

"That's good to hear!" responded the blonde leader. An understanding nod left their conversation at that, sitting down and turning their attention to the final LRGS member.

"And this brutish, brainless blonde here is Gino Weinberg." He pat the back of the blonde on his right, who had just downed some orange juice. In his spate of inattention, he did not initially process the introduction, only wiping his lip to look presentable.

"'Sup!" he greeted jovially. Meanwhile, a mesmerized Yang savoured her view as her gaze hopped from one Britannian to another, tuning out of the general conversations.

So many choices.

But when she heard "brutish, brainless blonde", her mind was taken back to all the times in combat school when she was labelled just that, her schoolmates bullying her in an attempt to push her down. Of course, she'd beat them down afterwards but such insults were still a sore spot. Thus, under that assumption, her eyes turned red as she reared herself to retaliate, locking on to the so-called "culprit".

With Gino, as he observed the muffled giggles, he was left wondering, 'What are they laughing about?' Then, as realisation dawned on him, his laid back demeanour gave way to an annoyed scowl. At the same time, Yang decided to confront Lelouch at that moment. So, as one they closed in on him.

**"Hey!"**

Lelouch stared calmly at Yang's burning gaze, inches away from his own, taking a moment to take in his surroundings. Gino had leaned over in his response while Yang had slammed her hands on the table and practically shot over to him, burning glares directed at him.

"Yang," he calmly began, "you do know I'm talking about Gino right?"

"He's right you know," chimed in Blake. She placed her hand on Yang's shoulder and pulled her partner back to her seat. "He was introducing Gino here."

As the rage dissipated, Yang blushed upon realising her actions. 'Can't believe you did that Yang!' she mentally chided herself. "S-sorry for jumping to conclusions," she sheepishly apologised.

"It's alright," assured Lelouch. "And Gino, you took like 7 seconds to realise what I said. The evidence speaks for itself, you git."

Gino turned away and scoffed. "Whatever, you pompous prick."

"Back on topic!" cut in Suzaku. Thankfully, the argument hadn't gotten too heated yet. Didn't want a repeat of the gym incident after all.

As the two arguing boys sat back down, Gino cleared his throat and muttered out, "Sorry."

"My apologies," followed Lelouch.

"So back to the conversation," spoke Pyrrha, "you guys showed up with and reported to an official back at the battle. A Schneizel el Britannia right?"

"Correct," remarked Lelouch. "Also, he's the Prime Minister, not just an official," he corrected.

"I've rarely, if not never, heard of trainee huntsmen being assigned as bodyguards to a diplomat, much less one as important as the Prime Minister."

"Especially considering the recent history between your Kingdom and ours," remarked Weiss. The Beacon students, save for Ruby, mulled over her words and almost immediately caught onto the hidden meaning, eyes widening in realisation wincing in what they thought was a jab. Any student worth their salt in recent history would know about the longstanding rivalry between Atlas and Britannia after all.

Lelouch sucked in air through his teeth as he tried to formulate a response. "Yes, well," he began, "we were more like a temporary addition to his security detail. We are here for the tournament after all. Our tenure as part of his escort lasted only till we arrived in Vale. Then we would break off. Besides, it's not as if he's more at risk because his guards are students, even given the local reception towards our Kingdom. We were chosen for this task for a reason. Also, His Highness is not just the Prime Minister. He's also the Second Prince."

"Right," replied Weiss.

"In the end, it boils down to appearances," he continued, "Think about it this way. We want to rebuild relations with the Kingdoms but we can't risk reminding the people of the war, lest they still cling to the memories and foster hatred towards my homeland. We don't want another conflict on our hands. So a large escort force was not favourable. Which is why you only saw the Pinafore this morning. A relatively small vessel. Not to mention the rivalry between Atlas and Britannia would cause some trouble if we were thought to be invading. The same reason why we trainees were part of his security detail. Huntsmen, or in our case Paladins, whether student or professional, are symbols that are meant to inspire hope in the public. Naturally, they are viewed as more trustworthy and benevolent. Even if some are only in it for the money. So our presence instead of, say, professional soldiers, barring his personal guard, is more appealing and calming to the public. While soldiers are the logical, professional and typical choice for security details, we have an image that we need to get rid off. The presence of troops would only backfire on us. That answer your question?"

"...Very much. Thank you," said Weiss after digesting everything.

"Wuhhh?" voiced out Ruby. She was completely lost.

"They didn't bring soldiers, they cause fights. Huntsmen don't," summarised Weiss.

"Not to mention that His Highness is a certified Paladin," chimed in Gino. "He can hold his own if he needs to."

"That too," conceded Lelouch. "So, any other questions?"

"Umm," hesitated Ruby, "What's a Prime Minister?"

The chatter among the group ceased and was replaced with silence as their heads turned toward her, incredulous stares plastered onto them.

"You dolt! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to ask such a basic question?!" admonished Weiss as she bonked Ruby on the head. "Did you pay any attention during the history lesson?"

"I was sleepy from all our assignments and you know it!" defended Ruby. "Besides, Oobleck goes too fast!"

"Oh that's ironic!"

"I don't know what that means!"

"Actually, what is a Prime Minister?" asked Jaune. "The opening lesson covering your Kingdom was really content-heavy."

"I made a paper giraffe that lesson!" exclaimed Nora with her mouthful of pancakes. "I broke its neck!" she said in an eerily chipper tone.

"... Rrrrrright. Well, most of the Kingdoms have been run by councils for the past few generations so really I can't blame Ruby for not knowing," spoke up Suzaku. "Lelouch?" he asked as he turned to his partner.

"You can think of the Prime Minister as the leader of your council. I know you don't have one but just imagine, say for example, that one had more votes or power over the others. Like General Ironwood. The Prime Minister is like the aide to the throne and helps the monarch carry out policy and preside over the regional representatives while also sitting on the royal council. In some emergencies, when the current monarch and their heirs are unavailable, the Prime Minister takes up responsibility in running the Kingdom."

"So the Second Prince is like the King's right-hand man?" probed Pyrrha.

"**Emperor** Miss Nikos," corrected Lelouch. "Some of my countrymen are very anal about the terminology."

"Interesting," remarked Weiss. 'And typical,' she finished offhandedly.

"So any other questions?"

"Yes!" answered Blake in a muted, yet unusually eager manner, "Is it true that Faunus have better social standings in your Kingdom?"

"Empire, Miss Belladonna."

"Call me Blake."

"Well Blake, that is in fact-"

Suddenly, a scroll's message alert chimed. Lelouch reached into his pocket and looked at the screen of what seemed to be a brand new scroll. Custom too if that purple casing was any indication.

"Sorry folks," said Lelouch as he put it back in his pocket, "looks like we'll have to continue this conversation another time, if not during our classes themselves. Need to oversee the transfer of some Grimm AND we got a press briefing afterwards. I'm afraid you'll have to wait for your answer, Blake. Though I will say that it is true." With that, he waved to the chef, who waved back cheerfully. Meanwhile, the bystanders who watched their home's defenders in awed stupor rushed toward them, young children and grateful citizens eager for the chance to snap a picture with their valiant defenders.

" 'Hopefully they won't be too much trouble' huh?" deadpanned Ren as he looked at Pyrrha. To her credit, she sheepishly looked away and whimpered out, "Sorry!"

"Here we go again" bemoaned Jaune. Couldn't they catch a break?! He glanced over to Team LRGS, who not only had fully kitted up, but were clearing their adoring public at surprising speeds, taking photos and acknowledging thanks in seconds.

'How are they doing that!?' Ruby asked herself. While they seemed to glide through the crowd and bask in the limelight, she and her schoolmates were absolutely SWAMPED by their "fans". Some of them took it in their stride, like Pyrrha, Weiss, Nora and Yang. Her sister was taking time to pose for crying out loud! Others tried, and failed to, sneak past the people. As scroll cameras flashed, she could only desperately look for a way out but to no avail, only able to scoot through the fans at most.

Oh, what she wouldn't give to escape this ordeal! Apparently, Pyrrha had the same idea and acted upon it, using her semblance to slowly but noticeably push her schoolmates towards the edge of the throng.

Meanwhile, as he worked through his adoring crowd (with a suspiciously large female denomination), Lelouch felt that something was… off. So, he scanned his surroundings. The crowds were risks but in no way, the primary threat and the street cameras were sweeping their usual arcs. His teammates were swamped by their fans, giving them pats on their back and posing for pictures. None of them seemed to be suspicious so it wasn't the crowds.

As he looked to the rooftops of the commercial district, a noticeable glint caught his eye. There! Right there!

Apparently, the mysterious eavesdropper saw him too, for not long after he spotted them, the glint vanished, a silhouette too far away to make out escaping his gaze.

"Lelouch? Everything alright?" asked Gino.

"I'm fine," he replied without turning to the blonde.

"Sure. Whatever you say," gave in Gino. Lelouch continued to squint at the spy's vantage point. To most, it would seem that the Team Leader was taking in the sights. But Gino knew better. He did not spend a childhood with his teammate without knowing his ticks and habits. The way he scanned the environment meant one thing.

Someone was watching them. But who?

* * *

At 07:50, Cinder Fall could be found standing atop a building, revelling in the glory of a flawless plan. As her pawns both stirred and quelled the chaos in the streets of Vale, she could be found watching from afar, satisfied with how everything turned out. Roman played his part well. Beacon and the Atlas forces responded as predicted. The council WILL lose their trust in Ozpin. All according to plan.

At 08:00, her pawns came back to her and with the results of her plan in full view, the bull-headed "colleague" that was Adam Taurus was more than willing to commit to her future scheme. Perfect.

Then, at 08:20, her usual calm, composed, smug demeanour was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was fiery, unbridled RAGE, just barely held together. She silently seethed as she took in the information about the britannians' intervention. They dare!? The second wave was meant to cripple the public's confidence, not galvanise them!

Great. Instead of a doubtful reception, the citizens of Vale were now more than grateful for the military presence. And with the britannians present, the unknown elements just made things a lot more difficult. A few (discreetly) wrecked rooftops and warehouse items later, she finally managed to calm herself down. Now was not the time to throw a tantrum. 'It certainly is a setback,' she told herself. 'But one that I can use.'

Her time will come. She will have her vengeance. NOTHING will stand in her way, in her quest for power. Not even a few pesky unknowns. She will have power, so that she would no longer suffer as she once did.

The Britannian-Atlesian rivalry was well known and so was the general public's opinion of the empire, barring today's events. If she could stir those feelings and whip up a storm, her grand scheme would practically set itself and her goal would fall right into her lap. Perfect.

The best way to do that? Target the symbols of cooperation. Find their weakness.

And then strike.

The nuisances (Paladins, from what she heard) won't know what hit them. They, along with any hope of unity the fool Ozpin had for the people, would be crushed under her heel.

But one must know their enemy, no?

So, as the twelve students made their way back to Beacon, a pair of amber eyes tracked their every move like a predator.

"Intriguing," purred Cinder to herself. After she had been spotted the first time, she had relocated from the bakery across from the diner to a clock tower a few blocks down.

She took out her scroll and dialled a number, keeping her gaze on her quarry. "Mercury, are you getting this?"

"Got them in my visual boss lady," came the silver-haired boy's voice. A few blocks down, closer to the bullhead ports, he lay prone on a roof. His scroll lay next to him on speaker as he trained a camera onto the targets. No flash, of course.

The sound of the shutter clicking away made Cinder glad. "Good," she spoke, "Keep it up. We'll meet up at the dorms afterwards. Don't get spotted. I almost was."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Ending her call with the assassin, she dialled in the number for her thief. "Emerald, do you have your eye on them?"

"I do, ma'am."

"Did you manage to plant the bugs on them?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. Blending into the crowd was a piece of cake."

"Perfect. Patch us through and tail them. Make sure you are not seen."

"Right away."

Turns out, all that dust that Roman stole for them was very valuable, especially to his associates. With the promise of a steady supply, they were eating out of the palm of her hand and were willing to oblige any requests.

These listening devices were definitely worth the trade.

Emerald's voice brought her back to the present. "Ma'am, we're online."

"Good. Let's learn a little more about the guests, shall we?"

-Page Break-

"So, Lelouch. How old are you guys? How are all of you so tall? What are you doing with that coin?" asked Ruby.

"Rolo's sixteen going on seventeen. The rest of us are nineteen. Good genetics. Dexterity exercise," briefly answered Lelouch. As the twelve made their way to the bullhead ports, he absentmindedly played with a silver coin, flipping it between his fingers. While the others made small talk, Ruby decided to try and rub shoulders with her fellow team leader. It seemed that Jaune had the same idea, pulling back from asking Weiss out (again) to listen in.

"Wait, you're a third year?" queried Jaune.

"First year, actually. We're freshmen. Paladin schooling starts later than a Huntsman's."

"Why do you guys call yourselves that?" asked Ruby.

"What, paladins?"

"Yeah, that. Why not huntsmen?"

"It's a cultural thing. I'll save the details for another time," replied Lelouch.

"Soooo Rolo is an early entry like me?"

"Very much so. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. It's just nice to know that I'm not the only one."

"Ah, I see. You were feeling apprehensive, scared about entering Beacon early. Is that it?" he probed.

"Yeah! How did you know?"

"He confided in me about similar feelings. I can tell. Any other reason you're asking?"

"Wellll," hesitated Ruby. She took a glance at Jaune, who thankfully slotted himself into other conversations ahead, before turning back to Lelouch.

"He lied to me," she said bluntly.

"...Is it about where he's from?" guessed Lelouch.

"Yes. He said he was from Nihon. And he sounded so sincere too! He didn't mention anything about Britannia."

Lelouch could feel the hurt in her voice. 'Already breaking hearts, Rolo' he chuckled to himself. "Think of it this way, Ruby," he began. "While he was alone, widespread knowledge of his... origins would bear no benefit. I'm sure you are aware of the events concerning our Kingdoms?"

"Yeah, I do. Kinda."

With a chuckle, he continued. "Then you must realise the amount of heartbreak most of the Four Kingdoms experienced during said events. I think that he feared to draw any negative attention towards him while he was without his team. You see, he was just as scared as you were. That and he did not want to bring negative attention to any of the friends he made here. Like you."

"Oh. I ...didn't know that," she whimpered. He lied because he was concerned for her? And she was mad at him? How could she have done that?! She could have pushed him away! What happened to friends and normal knees?! Now she just felt awful, the guilt in feeling the way she did made her want to crawl in a hole.

A ruffling hand on her head made her turn back to the older ravenette. "There, there," he comforted with an assuring grin, "No need to be upset with yourself. He still lied after all and you are entitled to feeling angry, if you want to. Besides, I promise to give him a talking to and get him to apologise. Will that help?"

"A bit," sniffled Ruby as she collected herself. 'You can't be crying at every little thing now Ruby,' she chided herself, 'You're a big girl now!'

"I do suggest that you approach him on the topic however. It coming from me is not the same if it came from a friend he made on his own. Is that alright?"

"Yeah," replied Ruby, "I'll do it!"

"Alright. Cool," grinned Lelouch. "Feeling better now?"

"Yes. Thank you!" she chirped.

"No problem. Now, any other questions?"

A light *******PING*** drew her attention to the coin, which did a flip in the air before dancing in his fingers again.

"Umm. Could you teach me how to do that?" Ruby meekly asked.

A light chuckle came in response. "Of course Ruby. So, you need to position your fingers like so…"

-Page break-

"What idiotic conversation is this?! Makes me want to puke," complained Emerald. "Are you sure these are the same guys Cinder?"

"Don't question me Emerald," chastised the pseudo-maiden. "We have need to study them further."

"But they're only making small talk! The most we have is that the cat lied to little red and that she feels guilty! That's it!" whined the thief. This was such a waste of time.

"I assure you, profiling them will do us wonders for our plans. You need to know some patience. Understood?"

A defeated sigh on the other end signalled an end to the argument. "Yes ma'am," ground itself out from the other end of the line and Cinder could hear the gritted teeth.

"Good," she smirked. "Let's continue now shall we? Hopefully, Mercury has good pictures." With that, she turned back to her binoculars.

-Page Break-

"..You've got the movement down but you need a bit of practice to speed it up. I'm sure you'll get it!" encouraged Lelouch.

"Cool! Thanks Lelouch. Hey Yang! Look what Lelouch taught me!" Ruby ran off to the front of the group like a little puppy, excited to show off her new tricks. Lelouch smiled and giggled at the sight, bringing him back to simpler times. 'Happier times,' he added ruefully.

His eyes glanced up at a convex mirror as they approached the junction. Up ahead was the bridge that linked the commercial and residential districts of Vale. 'That old lady has been on the same route as us for the past half hour' he scrutinised. His eyes sharpened as he came to a realisation.

'We're being followed.'

He looked ahead to the rest of the group, looking to pass on the information. It was unlikely for Ozpin to do such a thing given the situation. Ironwood perhaps but this was not his style. 'Nonetheless,' he mentally asserted, 'I need to let one of the others know.'

"Gino!" he called out, "Do you have a moment? Need to talk to you about the Grimm transport later."

"Sure thing! Just a sec! Ruby, that looks awesome! Keep it up! Now, if you'll excuse me ladies," said the blonde as he exited the conversation. He was chatting happily with Yang, Blake and Ruby when Lelouch called to him. Letting the rest of the group proceed ahead of him, he let Lelouch catch up. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked.

"Oh it's nothing. But I think we should go over how we'll.." Lelouch snapped his fingers twice as he spoke, catching Gino's attention and causing his eyes to narrow, "..incapacitate and subdue them later. Any ideas?"

"Well I think the cages should hold. Why do you ask?"

Lelouch put a hand on Gino's shoulder, slowing down and putting distance between them and the rest. "Schau nicht hin. Wir werden verfolgt," whispered Lelouch with a cautious tone.

"Was?" hushedly replied Gino.

"Konvexer spiegel voraus. Dieselbe alte Dame, seit wir das restaurant verlassen haben," murmured Lelouch.

Gino's eyes darted up and took a look at the mirror. He could see the reflection of the old lady and something was definitely off. She was holding a bunch of shopping but was moving remarkably fast, all things considered, maintaining the same tailing distance.

"Das denkst du?" he questioned.

"Ja," Lelouch briefly answered.

"Was machen wir?"

"Reagiere nicht. Stellen sie sich vor, sie bemerken es nicht. Hat dich jemand im diner berührt?"

Gino scoffed. "Ist der Himmel blau?" he asked rhetorically.

"In Ordung. Dann wurden wir wahrscheinlich mit Abhörgeräten markiert. Chatte weiter, bis wir zu unseren Schlafsälen kommen. Wir haben ungefähr eine Stunde Ruhe. Wir werden sie dort loswerden. Verstanden?"

"Ja," Gino replied.

"Good! So we've come to an agreement then?" asked Lelouch, switching back to the common tongue.

"Yep! So to summarise, we may need to restrain one or two right?"

"Yeah just make sure the rowdier ones stay in place. The hardware should hold by itself. They need to be on display for the tour after all."

"Gotcha. Anything else?"

"No, I think we're good."

"Hey Lelouch! Gino! You guys gonna catch up or what?! We're getting ice cream!" called out Yang.

"At this time of day?!" came Weiss' incredulous cry.

"Shut up Weiss!" came Ruby's response. "We're celebrating!"

"Coming!" called out Gino as he and his leader jogged up to the rest.

* * *

Up on a nearby roof, Cinder had put down the binoculars in favour of sitting in daze, trying to process what she heard.

She understood squat.

"-inder. Are you there? Cinder!" Emerald's voice crackled over the scroll. Her visage of lost confusion morphed into the beginnings of annoyance as she snatched up her scroll.

"What?!" she demanded in irritation.

"What the hell was that?! What were they saying?!" Emerald was clearly beginning to panic. That hushed tone though told Cinder that she was still tailing them.

The half-maiden sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Things just got a lot harder. Gritting her teeth, her response ground itself out.

"I don't know."

Down by the sidewalk, Emerald gave the faintest of gasps, focused on maintaining her illusion and keeping a distance. Did Cinder just admit to a shortfall?

"What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

"I'm saying that I do not understand what they said!" hissed her leader over the line.

Back on the rooftops, Cinder took a moment to breathe and compose herself. This was not how she should be acting! Tantrums were for children!

Once she was calm, she picked her scroll back up. "You're still following them right?"

"Yeah."

"Are the bugs recording their conversations?" she followed up.

"They always were," came Emerald's brief reply. 'Where's Cinder going with this?' she wondered.

"Good. Keep recording. I'll send what needs translation over to… Watts," said Cinder. She had to repress a groan at that last part. No doubt that once they contacted him for help that he would hold this over her head for a long time.

Sometimes she wished she could wring that smug scientist's neck and be done with him.

"What? Why? Don't you hate him or something?"

"Because he's the most likely one with the knowledge to understand and translate what they said, you idiot!"

There it was again. That anger at herself was seeping through again.

"Apologies," Cinder continued as she cleared her throat. "As much as it pains me, we… need his knowledge and expertise in this area. The most I could make of it was that they were speaking in an old dialect."

"Right then. Any change of plans?" asked Emerald. By now she sat in a bus stop opposite the ice cream parlour the students were in. It was really hard to focus on their conversation while talking to Cinder.

"Keep following them back to Beacon and keep recording till then. I have a feeling that the bugs will be discovered anyway. Then we meet up back in our room. We should have enough info on them to complete those profiles by then. Now back to work, I have other errands to attend to," ordered Cinder.

"Alright, ma'am."

A short *beep* chimed and the call ended, leaving Cinder alone to stew with her thoughts. As she did so, she moved over to another roof and brought her sights onto the gaggle of students. As much as she tried to ignore it, the conversational curveball she was thrown just now would not get out of her head. And so, she found her gaze drifting to the back of the group, towards the black-haired britannian, who currently was chatting with the redhead from JNPR (the dumb one). Something about "robots" and "skinning an Ursa". Such trivial topics.

Yet, as she continued to watch them, she found herself unable to take her eyes off him. She saw something that the others seemed to have missed.

A mask.

She had to give him credit. He had a nigh flawless facade. But she knew. She could tell that his mind was not completely there, she could see that his eyes were darting around when no one was looking. His stance, seemingly relaxed, held tension. As if he were ready to spring into battle at the slightest trigger. Turns out all that training she underwent had its uses. And it wasn't as if he was like this all the time. She saw him back at the diner. He was completely relaxed.

'What are you hiding, Lelouch Lamperouge?' she wondered.

Now, how was she to go about this? She could just carry on as normal. Trample over them once the power was hers. But as long as she did not have an accurate gauge of the unknown threats, it was far too risky to do that. A more personal touch was needed then.

"But who to choose?" she mused.

She needed time to think it through. But what was certain was that she could not afford to have them stand in her way. They were enticing candidates as unwitting pawns, however.

"So many choices," she purred smugly. Oh she was going to enjoy this.

* * *

**-With Team LRGS-**

"Alright Lelouch, what was going on back there? You were tense," noted Suzaku. Shortly after they had arrived at Beacon, they had to part ways with their newly made friends and collect their belongings. Now they were just getting settled in their room. (Which up till now had been Rolo's.)

He was silenced with a quick "shh!" before his team leader spoke. "We were being followed."

"What?" asked Rolo.

"Check your clothes and weapons. I think we were bugged," continued Lelouch. As he did, he casually reached up to his right shoulder and picked at what seemed to be a random spot until his hand pulled back and held a small, black piece of plastic no larger than a button. "Look for these."

The four boys began to frantically pat themselves down, looking for the tiny devices. Eventually, they managed to pluck off all of them, finding a dozen bugs in total. After they were done, Lelouch passed one over to his teammates. "Tell me what you see."

"Very low-tech," noted Rolo.

"Small too. Probably has a short range," said Suzaku.

"I think it's Atlesian," inferred Gino.

"I thought so too. But remember, Ironwood is currently operating under the banner of peace with Ozpin. They would not want to jeopardise this opportunity. And even then, this is not the General's MO. That said, we should keep an eye out," commented Lelouch. After he did, he took the pile of bugs, brushed them into a bin and put it in the bathroom. "I think I'll burn those afterwards when it's convenient."

* * *

**-With Team CM(N)E-**

"Looks like you were right Cinder," drawled Mercury. In Beacon's eastern student dormitories, the trio had regrouped in their room and were sitting around Cinder's scroll, casually listening in on the conversation. The scroll gave a short *blip* as the servant of Salem cut the connection.

"Of course I was," she offhandedly said.

"Now what?"

"We continue to blend in. Make sure to analyse them in the upcoming lessons. Find any weaknesses. I'll figure out how to handle them."

* * *

**-With Team LRGS-**

"So in other words, you're saying there's a third party?" asked Suzaku.

"That is the most likely scenario, yes," affirmed his leader. "But who though?"

"Outside the General, we have no other lead suspects. So I think that the culprit is either connected to our "associate" in some way or form OR they are blending into the student cohorts," continued Lelouch.

"Maybe it's both," joked Gino.

"Perhaps. We don't know."

"How did you come to this, brother?" asked Rolo.

"Let's call it experience with grandfather plus a gut feeling."

"But what could they want?" wondered Suzaku.

"That is what remains to be seen. Currently we can only guess."

* * *

**-With Team CM(N)E-**

"But what about them? Or at least the leader. He's obviously suspicious now!" worried Emerald.

"Fear not. Once little Neo, I'm sorry, "Noire" joins us, we'll have a full team. You just need to act your parts. That's all. Besides, I doubt that a barbarian, much less a britannian, could catch on so quickly and precisely," Cinder calmly replied.

* * *

**-With Team LRGS-**

"But what is certain," continued Lelouch, "is that someone wants to know about all our hard work. Possibly sabotage it too."

"So should we seek them out first? Nip this in the bud?" prompted Gino.

"No, it's fine. You guys just carry out our orders and keep your eyes peeled. Otherwise, enjoy your time here. I'll look into this personally," refused Lelouch.

* * *

**-With Team CMNE-**

"Of course," Cinder continued, "arrogance comes before the fall. But we would have already succeeded by then."

* * *

**-With LRGS-**

"I'll find our little spies. And when I do,"

* * *

**-With CM(N)E-**

"Once that happens, I'll find the vermin. And when I do,"

* * *

**-With Lelouch-**

"I'll make them beg for death!"

* * *

**-With Cinder-**

"I'll burn them to ash!"

x

**Team Profiles:**

Subject: Team LRGS (Largesse)

Members:

\- Lelouch Lamperouge (Leader)

\- Rolo Lamperouge

\- Gino Weinberg

\- Suzaku Kururugi

A.K.A:

\- The Four Horsemen

\- Monastery's finest

\- The bois

Headmaster's comments:

Team LRGS is, without a doubt, one of the finest teams that Monastery Academy has seen in years, all fine young men. As Squires, they excel at what they do and possess impeccable teamwork. They cover each other's weaknesses well and when one member is around, it is not often that his team is somewhere nearby. Despite their status, however, they connect easily with the rest of the student body, with two of their members taking up positions on the Student Council. It is a blessing that they do not face as much harassment as one would expect considering some of its members' heritages. But boys will still be boys and while they have stellar performances, this leads to them occasionally skipping class and wreaking havoc in the school. Nonetheless, they are a well-oiled machine when the time calls for it. Should they be offered an advance in their education, I would be remiss to ignore it, seeing their boundless potential.

But it would be foolish to cap their growth by sending them out to the field full-time so soon. They have much more to learn, no matter what it may seem, and they are all entitled to make memories and experience their late youth like the rest of their peers, especially considering what some of them are fated to become in the future.

Signed,

Ruben K. Ashford

Headmaster of Monastery

**Translations (by order of appearance)(rough google translations):**

-Don't look. We are being followed.

-What?

-Convex mirror ahead. The same old lady since we left the restaurant.

-You think so?

-Yes.

-What do we do?

-Don't respond. Pretend you don't notice. Did someone touch you in the diner?

-Is the sky blue?

-Alright. Then we were probably tagged with listening devices. Keep chatting until we get to our dorms. We have about an hour of rest. We'll get rid of them there. Understood?

-Yes.

**Hoo whee! That was a tiring chapter! ****It may be messy when it comes to describing the food but that's kind of the effect I wanted. So just put in any arbitrary breakfast food you can think off.  
**

**Note: I got Neo's pseudonym and Cinder's team name from here - **** wiki/Thread:344019**

**I thought I'd try something a little different. You can see that I'm gonna incorporate some euro languages here and there (terribly; I'm using google translate after all. I'm sorry). Their names will be changed to fit the story of course. But should I continue typing in different languages, and posting the (rough) translations below? Or should I use special quotations to denote them speaking another language (eg (x), [x], {x} etc)? Do lmk.**

**Also, I set up some new polls and I tweaked the first one so do go and check them out!**

**Until next time, this is backwardsaile, thanking you for reading and hoping that y'all stay safe out there!**

**(Note: 06/05/20. I just realised that you can only have one poll up on your profile at a time [which sucks]. So imma be cycling the polls occasionally.)**


	6. Getting to work

**Hey guys! Backwardsaile here! Holy shit it's been so long. I'm so sorry for taking so long with this chapter! Again, I'm caught up in a lot of personal biz and life outside of writing so I can't guarantee a new chapter regularly. Again, I apologise for such a long wait!**

**These past few months, the world has kinda gone to shit. Riots and protests galore with BLM, all from that one video in May. The virus, which we thought would have settled down by now (foolishly) has come back with a second wave and thousands of us have been affected. One way or another. In this time, I ask that you look toward your blessings. Be appreciative of the small things in life. Tell your fam you love them and take this time to connect with them. (I'm sorry if I'm being sappy. Last few months has changed and matured me a bit [dw I wasn't hit by tragedy or anything, touchwood]). **

**(I find that prayer helps a fair amount. For those of you who are free thinkers, that's okay. Just try and improve yourselves in this trying time.)**

**I hope y'all are safe and healthy. If you guys have lost anyone recently (again touchwood), I am truly sorry. You have my condolences and I wish you and your family comfort and recovery.**

**Okay, enough doom and gloom. Fics are a way for us to escape and enjoy ourselves and I intend for you guys to do so! Before we continue, I'll answer some of the reviews and say a few more things.**

**First, the reviews.**

**saitama1155: I mean, yeah. Kinda. But at the same time, I intend to make them be on equal ground (sort of). After all, this Lelouch is not really driven by the "DESTROY BRITANNIA" drive that canon Lelouch is, if you get what I mean. So Zero is gonna play a bit differently.**

**ewertondragon10: ...Not really sure what your review means exactly. But thanks I guess?**

**ChunkyFunkyMunky (Mind me just calling you Chunky unless otherwise?): You have been a loyal ass reader man. I'm really grateful. Onto the review itself.**

**Firstly, thanks! Glad to see I make you happy. Also I did not realise it was that bad. I assumed that the situation kind of cooled down by now.**

**Secondly, yes. It is CMNE is pronounced Carmine. I know, I know. Lazy. But I don't really give a care rn.**

**Thirdly, oh damn really? I did not know that. What am I supposed to do with that info?**

**Before we get on with the fic, I have to sat that transcribing your script from G docs sucks a buncha ass! I mean, it works fine but you gotta redo all the bolding and italics and underlining and it just is so exhausting!**

**You may also recognise some names and references to other IPs. Try and guess where they're from! I hope it doesn't take you out of the mood too much! I can't really come up with names and I find them to be perfect honestly. Do lmk.**

**With regards to the polls, I realise that cycling the polls regularly is more trouble than it's worth, so I'm not doing that. Instead, I'm just gonna leave one up till I finish the next chapter, by which it will be taken down and replaced. As of writing this author's note, it's the original one on Lelouch's semblance. I encourage you to vote if you haven't already. On that note...**

**Lelouch's ability is by no means as OP as his Geass is. It is less of a dominion of the mind and more of a really powerful persuasion. I have dominion lined up for someone else. Do keep that in mind when you're polling. (Ik that 'Obedience' is misleading AF but it fits pretty well so I'll leave up to the vote.)**

**If you guys are hoping to see some action, I'm sorry to say but this chapter ain't it. I know. I know. Like wtf. RWBy was based almost exclusively on cool fights how could you. I'm sorry for the lack of action but I feel it would have been rushed if I churned out a fight scene in this chapter. In other words, a shitty fight. And it would not fit this chapter's end tbh. I promise that you'll see action of some kind soon (soon as in next chapter, not as in next month or whatever I have no idea when I can get a new chapter out by with my schedule being the way it is).**

**Once more, I hope y'all are safe and healthy. Take heart. Cherish your loved ones and improve yourselves in a time when everyone else seems to be depriving. We can get through this as long as we're responsible, careful and considerate. So please, don't be a dick.**

**Without further ado, onto the fic!**

(Note: not as long as the previous chapter but still kind of dialogue-heavy)

Posted: 10/07/20

Chapter 5

_These brave men will protect my Kingdom in my absence. My Paladins will shield my people from the dangers of the night. And if need be from the monster that is humanity._

**_-Arslan "The Lionhearted" di Britannia, 33rd Emperor of the Britannian Empire_**

-Page Break-

"~expect light showers in the evening. Back to you Lisa!"

"Thanks, Gerald. In other news, to recap this morning's events, there was a Grimm attack in the commercial district of Vale, beginning at 07:30. Orchestrated by infamous gangster Roman Torchwick, it was reported by some of the Huntsmen and Huntresses that he was working with the White Fang, the radical Faunus rights movement. Thankfully, the combined forces of Beacon and Atlas held off the attack. However, at 8:20 there was another invasion, this time starting from the agricultural district and moving into the industrial zone. While Beacon and Atlas were able to arrive on-site, a surprise appearance by the Britannian Prime Minister's forces fought back what is now known online as "The Second Wave." Meanwhile, the hashtags #Breach and #BreachHeroes are trending online. Theresa Greene has more."

Cinder let out a noncommittal grunt as the holo screen changed to show the inside of an atrium. And right smack in the middle was a bubbly looking woman with wavy green hair. As she watched the news, she checked the time on her scroll. It was 11:30.

While watching, she was digging her nails with a curved, nasty-looking knife that her mistress gave her as a "graduation gift". "For anytime you are otherwise defenceless, when your back's against the wall. Who knows? You may just have a fighting chance. It's always good to be prepared," she remembered the Witch lecturing her. It was unusual for the immortal to give such sagely and dare she say, friendly advice. Granted, that was spoiled when she was promptly thrown out into the Grimmlands for three days to survive with one days' worth of food but that's not the point. Before she had Midnight, she used this little thing to defend herself from both human and Grimm. And it served, and continued to serve her well.

It was an elegant weapon. A curved, ebony handle with carmine highlights that fit snugly in the palm of her hand even now. A likewise curved, golden blade with a streak of iridescence along its toothy, serrated edge. All in all, it looked like a slightly straightened 'S' (she was twelve when she first received it, don't judge her). Just before the inside curve of the blade, where metal and wood met, a tiny bit of silver stuck out, serving to protect its wielder's hand. Strangely, said protective piece had a tiny kink in the middle. Combined with the nigh-flush lines running across and along the blade as well as on the hilt, the weapon promised a killing prowess deadlier than what it seemed at first glance. Sometimes, it seemed to just _thrum_ with power and excitement.

After all these years, she still chose to keep it by her side. Call it what you will. Intuition, safety or just a security blanket. But she always felt safer when she had her mistress's gift on hand or nearby, if only marginally. Even when she moved onto Midnight and even later when she stole a fraction of the Maiden's power, she continued to hold it close to her, even if it just sat pretty in a pocket or a pouch somewhere. It was always at the ready, almost waiting to strike. She knew she could count on it to protect her.

How fitting it was for its waiting and inevitable nature that she named it Twilight.

She was brought out of her uncharacteristically sentimental musings by the news channel's flashy displays as Theresa Greene began her spiel.

"Thank you, Lisa. There has been a noticeable surge of support from the public towards this morning's defenders. We spoke to some of the witnesses as well as the defenders. This is what they had to say."

"So then the Grimm was like "HISSS!" and we were all like "Pow!Pow!Pow!"

That was little red.

"We had to cancel our scheduled field assignment to get here on time. We definitely made the right choice."

The white knight.

"I know it's weird to say this but it felt fun fighting all those Grimm."

The bimbo.

"I'm just glad everyone's safe."

The invincible girl.

"I hope that the ones behind this will be brought to justice and that the White Fang will change for the better."

The cat.

As the news droned on and on, singing praises to the defenders, she groaned in boredom. She had to get any info she could on the new arrivals but this just sucked. She had half a mind to pass this on to Emerald and Mercury but who was she kidding? What they'd gather would barely scratch the surface. So there she sat for the past hour, notes in hand, ready to latch onto any bit of information that may prove useful.

"We've come here to not only establish stronger ties between Vale and Britannia but also participate in the tournament and show the world who we are."

Like that.

"That was Lelouch Lamperouge speaking, Leader of Team LRGS. They are largely credited with holding off the second wave on their own. Currently, I'm at the Council Hall in Dell, where many have gathered to witness a new height in Britannia-Vale relations. Moments ago, a new treaty was signed by the Council and a historic moment for Vale-Britannia ties was forged. Have a listen."

As the screen cut to who she assumed was the aforementioned Prime Minister, Cinder perked up. This could be interesting.

"'-I wish to put our Kingdoms' past of bloodshed and strife behind us and to look ahead to the future that we can forge together. One of peace, prosperity, cooperation and brotherhood.' That, ladies and gentlemen, are the words of His Majesty, Charles zi Britannia. To that end, Britannia will not only open up its ports and borders for trade. We will be sharing our technology and knowledge with the rest of Remnant and take steps to ensure that the fifth Kingdom will be seen and acknowledged as equal to the Four."

"After his speech, the Prime Minister and the Council signed the "Britanni-Valian Treaty", a bilateral deal between the Kingdoms which will see an increase in international trade, knowledge transfers, diplomacy and tourism. This includes data on their local Grimm species, technology and history, all of which will be uploaded onto the CCT networks by the end of the week. Britannia has also pledged contributions towards Beacon Academy, mainly in the form of educational texts, training equipment and a combat simulator. Furthermore, Lieutenant Bianca Hail was awarded an outstanding service medal for her management and defence of Vale. "

As Theresa spoke, the screen cut to the Kingdoms' diplomats signing the treaty and shaking hands, smiling widely to the flashes and clicks of cameras. Around them, in stark contrast, the security forces of Atlas stood alert, with General Ironwood standing on the stage, clapping away with the lieutenant by his side, a shining silver medal pinned on her breast. Behind the Prime Minister, Team LRGS stood stone-faced, dressed in their black and gold uniforms, chests puffed out proudly and their left shoulders glinting in the light.

Cinder's gaze focused on the four, especially their black-haired leader. With how he held himself and the gaze he cast upon the room, it was plain to see that he was the most watchful of them. She had a more than sneaking suspicion that he held power and knew how to use it, something that just left her feeling all warm and tingly inside. The prospect of a challenge, of a worthy opponent destined to be ground to dust under her heel, made her lick her lips in sick anticipation of their terrified faces and her heart race at the thought of her _reward_. The thought of them looking up to her in fear and realising the futility of resistance was intoxicating.

'Britannia or no, once I have what I deserve, they won't stand a chance,' she cackled to herself.

Unbeknownst to her, she did giggle to herself. Quite dizzily in fact. One that saw a previously-entering-the-room Mercury slowly back out and walk down the hall, pretending he saw nothing. As the girl in red continued to fantasise about her success, the news continued to drone on and on about the implications and whatnot and opportunities for Vale and yadda yadda yadda.

Right now she couldn't give a damn.

'Alas,' she mentally continued, 'if I am to be able to utterly destroy them, I must find and understand their weaknesses. Cripple them. Then go for the throat. But how?'

Just then, her eye was drawn to the news, the camera panned over to the Britannia delegation once more, zooming in on prominent figures and providing further info on the deal. But Cinder heard nothing.

She was too focused on the four 'Paladins' as they were called (an idiotic name in her opinion. What kind of White Knight fantasy did this Kingdom think they were living?). As her gaze landed on their leader, a line from her little spy session earlier that day came to mind.

"You never had a relationship before huh?" she asked an oblivious audience. As the screen cut to another frame of the four, she leaned forward and her hand began to reach out, almost as if to cradle something. Only for her to catch herself and harden her gaze, the outreaching hand quickly turning into a vengeful fist, crushing her potential target as if to swear vengeance on him. She took a moment to breathe and sit back down. What was going on?

'No matter,' she told herself. Once more her eyes darted back to the boy, now locked in a steely glare filled with determination. As the makings of a plan came to fruition in her mind, she absentmindedly played with her hair. With a lick of her lips, she all but finalised her decision. All that was left was to discuss (read: dictate) it with Emerald and Mercury later.

'Looks like those lessons will come in handy after all,' she thought to herself. With a nod of satisfaction, she switched off the screen and stood up. She needed a break.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the atrium of the Council Hall, councillors, diplomats, esteemed businessmen made nice with another, engaging in small talk, discussing future plans, gossiping, making connections and flitting about the chamber or talking amongst themselves on standing tables dotted about the floor. Waiters with drinks patrolled the floor and massive buffet tables were set up along the sides of the chamber.

As they did, General Ironwood felt out of place. Even though he attended functions like this regularly, he never really felt comfortable around high society. Things were too tense at times. It always felt like someone wanted him dead. And with his position, it was way more than likely.

The presence of Britannia did not help.

Personally? He had no qualms with them. If anything, he admired their tenacity, all the more so after the Nihon crisis and the Mistrali-Britannia war. For a Kingdom to not only stand alone but thrive and prosper in such hostile environments truly deserved recognition.

Professionally? He was shitting his pants. The arms race between Atlas and Britannia, though having toned down the past few years, was a very tense subject. Their rivalry and the opinion most Atlesians, elites especially, had of the so-called "rogue Kingdom" was common knowledge and in no way healthy if they wanted to repair relations. Given the souring of said opinion with the outbreak of war, all the more so. Even now, in the atrium, there was a thick tension that many tried to ignore. One caused by a seemingly perpetual staredown between his forces and the Prime Minister's, covering the doors, the upper levels and patrolling the perimeter. He thanked whatever powers there were that both sides were disciplined enough to not start any fights.

"Note to self: Keep Jacque, his elites and the rest of the council off my back until I find a way to settle them," he muttered to himself as he took a sip of water.

"Sir?" asked Lieutenant Bianca Hail. Ah yes, young Bianca, the star of the second Breach. After deflecting a few pleasantries and congratulations, the young brunette had retreated to his side. Not that he could blame her. He felt the same way the first time.

"Nothing of your concern, Lieutenant."

"Understood, sir. Now about the prisoners?" she asked.

"We'll keep Torchwick with us. The rest will be sent over to Ladon Supermax until further notice."

"Very well sir."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Prime Minister, a Prince Schneizel if he recalled the file correctly. Around him were several notable figures, all chatting him up and sneaking in one or two business proposals at the same time. To his credit, the Prince seemed to brush them off like they were nothing while still maintaining an amicable disposition. What was interesting was that while his security forces guarded the Council Hall, the four trainee huntsmen he brought along ('Squires' he heard) stood nearby like a bodyguard detail. Even while they themselves were having conversations, they seemed to keep an eye on the Prince. Speaking of which.

'Graduated from Monastery College and is a licensed Paladin. Served as governor of Britanni-Nihon for 4 years before being appointed Prime Minister. Renowned for his capability at chess and sharp mind. Second Prince of the Empire. Born in the region of Mordia. Son of Charles zi Britannia and Joanna el Britannia, née Darc.'

As the General continued to run through the memory of his potential adversary's file, he stopped when he saw the crowd parting toward him. Looking up from his drink, he saw the Prince striding over to him with an air of confidence, all the while talking to one of the squires. A Lelouch Lamperouge if he remembered correctly. By the twins they were tall. Save for a small minority, the political and social elites had to crane their necks upward when engaging in conversation with the foreigners. And they looked like complete asshats doing so. But James wasn't intimidated. He couldn't be. He had the weight of his Kingdom resting on his shoulders. Dependent on him, practically solely, to represent them abroad in situations like these. So with practiced ease, he took a deep breath, straightened himself out, got his bearings in order and the General braced himself for whatever this new adversary would throw at him.

He just hoped that there wouldn't be much trouble. The Vytal Festival was already a burden on its lonesome.

* * *

-your bikes and the rest of your belongings should be transported and available to your team by the end of today. Tomorrow at the latest. Any other questions Lelouch?"

"Any change of plan in regards to our asset acquisition and agent assistance?"

"Macavity will have to wait a while longer I'm afraid. But don't worry about that. Focus on activating the network and establishing presence. I want a good first impression. I'll deal with contacting our agent. Understood?"

"Aye."

"Good then. Now, look sharp and remember the plan for now. The tin man is near."

"Right then," acknowledged Lelouch. He touched his ear and spoke curtly. "LRGS on me." A short string of acknowledgements was received and he looked up to see the two men, beginning to size each other up and surrounded by curious bureaucrats. The air, previously uncomfortably tense, was so rife with it that it was stifling. But alas, Lelouch had to soldier on. So he quietly closed in on the Prime Minister.

"General."

"Prime Minister."

The two men greeted each other and shook hands. Given that this was the focal point of the world's leading armies, things were going remarkably well.

'Doesn't make this any less awkward though,' remarked Lelouch as he watched from the crowd.

"So. How goes the Emperor?" asked Ironwood. 'Wow. Great way to break the ice James,' he chided himself

"Oh he goes. In good health. Thank you for asking," replied Schneizel. "How goes your city in the sky?"

"It's going well," said the general.

"That's good to hear. You must always be cautious of the pillars that uphold the capital," said Schneizel in oddly sage advice.

"Do elaborate, please," said the general.

"Sir, if I may intrude for a moment," chimed in a voice.

Turning, the two men saw Lelouch, now stood just beside them with a pair of champagne flutes in his hands.

"Why thank you, mister...Lamperouge, right?" asked Ironwood.

"Correct sir," he replied.

'Yes!' celebrated James internally. He found that any small victory now helped keep him focused on the greater goal and today was no exception. As he took the flutes and handed one to his counterpart, he found himself calmer and more confident.

"So, Prime Minister. Please continue. About the pillars."

"Yes, of course. Now obviously the advice is not totally literal. But for a kingdom to rise to such heights, it needs people below to elevate it. So it would bode said kingdom well to ensure that said "pillars" remain strong and steadfast, especially in the tough times. I'm sure you agree, no?

"Indeed Prime Minister. The people of Mantle definitely are what allows Atlas to rise above."

"Then I'm sure you agree that the citizens of Mantle be properly taken care of, yes? You wouldn't want the pillar to collapse under all the weight now. We've already seen what the result of that is once already."

There was a sharp and quiet hiss as onlookers drew in their breaths, taken aback at the subtle jab from one kingdom to another. Ironwood, while impressed, was just as surprised and had to take a moment to recollect himself.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Well, yes. You are right about that being the case. Truly some wise words, Prime minister. But let us not dwell on the past but focus on the future of our nations instead. Shall we?" asked the general as he swept his hand across the room to a vacant table.

"Let's. It truly pleases me that despite this being a Valian event I see Atlas willing to forge new ties," replied Schneizel. As they made their way to the table, Ironwood looked back at Bianca, who was trailing behind them with the 4 squires nearby.

"Lieutenant, see to it that the prisoners are promptly transferred."

"Understood sir."

"Oh? Do you mean from this morning's incident? Perhaps Britannia could provide some assistance with the matter."

"The gesture is much appreciated, Prime Minister. But I'm afraid I must decline."

"Very well then. Lelouch!"

"Sir!"

"Proceed with the rest of your duties for today after we're done here. Then take a rest. If the crew wants to get pissed I'll allow it."

"Oh! Why thank you sir!"

"Carry on."

"Understood."

"Pardon the breakaway, General. Now, where were we…"

With the two leaders now seated at the table, the rest of LRGS dispersed back into the crowd, leaving Lieutenant Hail and Lelouchd standing in the middle of the atrium.

"Sooo, you guys are lucky," said the lieutenant suddenly.

"Sorry?" asked LRGS' leader.

"You just need to unload some books and get settled right?"

"More or less."

"Then you get to go drinking afterwards. I envy you really."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Sure. Why not? Haven't got anywhere to be till 1 anyways," accepted Bianca.

"So, what's wrong with your stuff?" he asked as he began to walk over to a secluded alcove of the chamber.

"By itself? Not much. It's just that today's been really draining, with the two attacks and all that jazz. I mean, the recognition is great and all, but I just feel so drained right now," sighed the woman as she leaned against the wall. To her credit, she hid her exhaustion extremely well.

"If that's the case, I must say that you are taking it pretty well."

"Well, we have to soldier on through these things, try to be disciplined about it, you know? I've had worse after all. Just got to be grateful for the peaceful times and look forward to small blessings and rewards. Like going for a drink with friends."

"Mmm," hummed Lelouch in understanding. Reaching for a passing waiter, he took a pair of glasses filled with red wine and passed one over to her. "I'll drink to that."

"Wait are you even legal?"

"In Britannia? Yes. I'm 19. Minimum age is 18. Why? Did they raise the age?"

"Eh, it's nothing. Just curious," shrugged the lieutenant.

"...you're not gonna lash me for drinking while on guard? I thought Atlas was uptight about these things."

"Okay. Firstly, ouch. Secondly, I can see why you would think that. And thirdly, I'm not paid enough to police drinking limits, especially with all the extra shit that comes with international law," replied Bianca before she took a BIG swig of her wine.

"Ha! Cheers to that," chuckled Lelouch before taking a swig of his own. After that they settled into a comfortable silence, making small talk and just enjoying each other's company, something that garnered a few curious and confused glances. A Britannia and Atlesian being casual with one another? That's impossible! Could pigs fly yet?

"Say, Lieutenant," spoke Lelouch, catching her attention. By now, they were nursing their third glass and she was beginning to look a bit… _looser. Perfect._

'Okay that came out wrong,' Lelouch said to himself.

"Yeah what's up?" asked Bianca.

"I've got a question. I was hoping you could answer it."

"I'll try my best. Go on."

Moment of truth.

"You see, I have **a little favour to ask you**," he said. Unbeknownst to any, his eyes shined a deep, menacing amethyst for the briefest of moments.

* * *

"Back it up! That's it! Steady, steady…" grunted out Gino. In his hands was a bar attached to a large, heavy-looking steel box locked shut, with tiny holes uniformly lining its sides and red tape wrapped around it. With him, a team of four crew members from the Pinafore were helping, and struggling, to carefully haul it from a cargo bullhead onto the grounds of Beacon, where they would be safely kept until the time was right.

"...and lower!" The five men let out a sigh of relief as they placed their load onto an awaiting cart, locking it in place with clamps. As they huffed and puffed in exhaustion, one of the crew members asked, "Ya think we'll have some time for a few pints later?"

"Perhaps. I'll talk to the captain about it. See if we have the time to," shrugged Lelouch as he came over to inspect the locks. Like his teammate, he had shed his uniform jacket, leaving him in his white shirt with its sleeves rolled up. Satisfied, he turned over to the five. "But we gotta finish loading up first," he said as he jerked a thumb behind him. There was the bullhead, its cargo hold gaping, guarded by the Prime Minister's soldiers, as if to taunt them with the numerous other pieces inside. They all groaned at the sight.

"Oh head up you lot," scoffed Lelouch as he made his way over to another box. "It's not as if we've lifted heavier."

"Yeah but that doesn't make this any less tiring as fuck!" complained the stocky blond. They had been handling the crates for the past hour! "What time is it anyway?!"

"I guess you're right there. And it's now 1630." conceded Lelouch with a roll of his eyes as he squat low and grabbed the bar, along with a few more crew members. "On three, guys. 1, 2, 3, up!" With a heave, they got it off the floor and shuffled over to the carts.

A hearty "HO HO!" announced the presence of one Professor Peter Port. "I must say, young man," began the teacher, "seeing you hard at work like this reminds me of my younger days. Thank you for the help!"

"It's nothing Professor…?" Gino asked.

"Oh pardon me! Port. Peter Port," he answered as he thrust out a hand.

"Well, it's nice to meet you sir," said Gino as he accepted the handshake. They silently regarded each other for a moment before releasing.

"Hm! A strong grip! I like it!" exclaimed Port.

"Why thank you, sir," cordially answered Gino.

"Please Mister…" began Port as he lead on his sentence.

"Weinberg. Gino Weinberg," the blond supplied. He turned towards the other crew members. "You guys go ahead, pull someone else in to help. I'll be back soon."

"Well, Mister Weinberg. You need not be so formal with me! Professor Port of just plain old Professor is fine!" laughed the Grimm Studies teacher.

"And that is duly noted Professor," cut in Lelouch. He just finished checking more of the locks and came over to see what was going on. He stuck out his hand to introduce himself, "Lamperouge. Lelouch Lamperouge. A pleasure to meet you."

"The same to you Mister Lamperouge!" greeted Port heartily. "I must thank you boys and the men for helping transport these Grimm!" His eyes gleamed with excitement, the prospect of wrestl-learning! about these new and (relatively) unknown species filled him curiosity and anticipation.

"I'm sure you will professor," smiled Lelouch.

"Though I was wondering. Where's the other half of your team?"

"Oh they're helping your history teacher I believe."

"Ah! So they're with Oobleck! I'd guess that he put them to sorting and moving all those new texts you got us."

**-Meanwhile-**

"Where does this go professor?!"

"Suzaku! Did I not say this already?! That goes under 'reference-history' not 'loaning-history'! And Rolo! It's 42601 not 42069!"

"Hehehe. Nice."

"Now's not the time for childish jokes Rolo! And be careful with those crates! I want those relics INTACT!"

"Why are the crates on fire?!"

"WHAT?! Put it out put it out!"

"AAAAAHHH!"

**-Back with the Grimm shipment-**

"May Oum have mercy," shuddered Port. His cheery disposition gave way to slumped shoulders, a paling face and a frightened quivering of his moustache.

"...Right let's move away from that," spoke Lelouch. "Professor, I think you'll be delighted with some of the specimens we've brought with us today."

"Very good. Any particular favourites among them?"

"Well, it's not a favourite exactly BUT I do find one of the more challenging species we've faced is the Abelius..us? Abelii? My apologies, the plural always confuses me," replied Gino.

"Interesting!" remarked the professor. "What is it exactly?"

"That would be telling, Professor Port. What I can say without ruining much of the surprise is that it's similar to a Beringel." Gino winced as a loud ***CRASH*** sounded out behind him. The crew members were flitting about the cargo, checking for any breaches in the containment.

"Playing coy I see," responded Port. "Very well! I'm up to the challenge! Oh how that reminds me of the hunts I used to go on with my friends! It was a clear, cool autumn day. I was in the springtime of my youth! We were trekking through the Forever Fall forest when we saw a-"

**"ROOOOOAAAR!"**

A furious roar thundered across the courtyard, emanating from the dropped crate and startling the crew handling it. As they backed away cautiously, the box began to rattle and shake, being thrown this way and that by whatever was inside.

"Pardon us for a moment professor," said Lelouch as he and Gino excused themselves. "I'm afraid that story will have to wait."

They strode over to the imprisoned Grimm with purpose. "What's with us and interruptions today?" grumbled Lelouch under his breath. "It's like it's being used as some lazy and convenient way to transition a scene or event."

"Whatever Lelouch," answered Gino. "We need you to focus right now. Can you calm him?" he asked as they reached the beast.

"Hmph. Child's play," answered his leader proudly.

"Careful. Pride before the fall," cautioned Gino with no real caution.

"The day that advice actually applies to me will be the day I die," retorted Lelouch as he went over to the back of the box. "Besides, I plan enough for that _to not_ happen." As he said that, the front of the crate dented outwards, albeit slightly, with a deafening *BANG*.

"Hey don't jinx it, man," warned Gino. "Also, you might want to hurry up there Lulu."

"Do you need any help, Mister Weinberg?"

"We're fine Professor! Thanks!" Meanwhile, the crew members and guards had quickly scrambled back to the bullhead and retrieved their guns, now aimed at the crate in case things went sideways.

By then, Lelouch had plucked with his left hand what looked like a small, thin, silver spike from the box, with a flat top. It looked like a nail. He pulsed his aura through the spike and watched it gain a faint purple glow. With a deep breath, he channelled his semblance into it, dark purple, bordering on black, veins beginning to bulge out of his left hand and wrist. And then he struck, slipping the spike through one of those tiny holes along the box.

**"Sleep boy!"**

A last defiant roar was heard as he felt the spike pierce the flesh of the beast. Its roars and cries now non-existent and the courtyard eerily quiet, everyone bracing for a second defiant outburst.

Once it became clear that it had totally settled down, the soldiers lowered their rifles while Lelouch released his hand from the spike, leaving it stuck inside the now docile Grimm. As he backed away from the cage, the crew stepped in to transport it onto its awaiting cart and his hands dropped to his knees.

"Bravo! Bravo! Very well done Mister Lamperouge," applauded Professor Port as he walked over to the student. "Exemplary handling of the beast! Tell me, was that your semblance?"

"Indeed… it was Professor. Or rather it... was a part… of it. It's handy in fighting Grimm but very… aura expensive," panted Lelouch as he tried to catch his breath. "I must ask you to not reveal it to your students. I'd much rather do it at my leisure, surprise people during the tournament. Is that alright?"

"Oh, it's no issue. Consider it done!" answered Port. "Now tell me what species proves to be so feisty!" As he said that, he nodded his head at the cage, now clamped securely on the cart.

"If its cries were anything to go by, I think I have an inkling. Just let me check," said Lelouch. He went over to the carts, now linked up in a train. "Let's see here…Yep. As I thought. This little guy here is a Nemean." spoke the student.

"And what are they like?" asked the professor.

"Agile. Heavily Armoured. Heavy," briefly replied Lelouch. "One of my favourite species of Grimm alongside the Nightmare."

"Both sound very formidable!"

"Indeed they are. I look forward to your practical lessons for when we face them."

"Hey Lelouch," budged in Gino, "we need to do anything else?"

"I don't think so," replied his leader, checking his scroll. "Yeah we're all done here."

"Right then," affirmed Gino. He turned to the crew members and hollered out, "Alright guys! Pack it up. We're moving the beasties to the storage centre." Cries of affirmation and joy came in response. "I could go for a cold one tonight. You Lelouch?"

"I'm sure we all could. Need to take it easy though. We still have lessons." The beeping of an electric horn alerted them to the carts moving off and they made their way to ensure a smooth transfer. "Professor Port, I must apologise for interrupting you halfway. I'm sure it is a lovely story. Unfortunately, we're quite busy right now."

"I understand my boy. Besides, most of the people I regale my stories to tend to drift off after a while, so I'm sure you wouldn't have enjoyed them," defended Port with a tad of disappointment in his voice.

"Then why don't you join us for a drink later? Surely your tales would find a more receptive crowd there! And I'm sure the men would appreciate the stories you tell."

At that, Port's eyebrows perked up in joy. "HO HO!" he cried. "Now you're speaking my language!"

And so off they went to stow the Grimm away.

* * *

Ochre "Oak" Nago really hated life right now.

Just a few hours ago, he had the immense pleasure of fighting and wrecking the Schnee brat. As much as he wanted to go after the traitor Belladonna as well, the stupid train crashed. He vaguely remembered getting pulled from the rubble (how he was not crushed or devoured by Grimm was beyond him) and getting placed in an ambulance.

Now here he was, in the prisoner wing of a hospital in Vale, hopped up on morphine, handcuffed to his bed with a broken leg, a fractured jaw and a snapped tusk. But most of all, he was worried sick for his family. He joined the White Fang for a chance for revenge against their oppressors and to earn enough to provide for his family. And part of that hinged on not getting caught.

'So much for that,' he sighed bitterly.

Great. Now they knew who he was and the authorities would surely go after his family. With them probably being on the Schnee's payroll, it was more than likely that there would be more than just an "investigation". On top of that, Atlas was where the White Fang had the LEAST presence and influence, so he couldn't secure their safety even if he could somehow contact his comrades. In his desperation, he had contemplated escaping the hospital, martyring himself or even ratting out the rest of the Fang for his family. They were always opposed to him joining the cause anyway.

'But none of those would work!' he bemoaned. It was at this juncture that he realised how helpless he and the rest of the White Fang actually were for the civilians they "fought" for. No matter what they did, their loved ones suffered for their actions! He felt sick inside.

'Can't believe I followed that shit! After all I went through?! THIS is how much we can do for the children?!' realised Ochre. 'We're useless! At least the protests brought issues to light!'

As he simmered in his rage, he failed to notice the chatter outside his room. Nor did he hear the pneumatic hiss of the door sliding open. It was only when he heard a loud "AHEM!" that he stopped and looked up. A woman. In Atlas uniform. Snooty. Brown hair in a bun. What was odd though was that he could pick up the smell of booze, even with all the disinfectant in the air. But then again, that was not his focus at the moment. He was too concerned with his life.

"Great. One of Ironwood's cronies. What do you want?" he painfully scowled at the woman.

"Lieutenant Bianca Hail. A pleasure," she curtly introduced. "Today's your lucky day, Mister Nago," she stated as she pulled out a tablet. An office scroll. "You're being transferred to Britannian custody."

"What? Why?"

"Orders from the council. It's out of our hands. Enjoy your stay here. It may very well be your last." As she said that, she took out a scroll from her pocket and slid it over to him. "Here's a scroll. If you want to contact your loved ones or give us information, use this."

"Yeah. Right," he snorted as he accepted the scroll.

"If you have no questions, then I bid you good day." She promptly turned and walked out the room, the door hissing shut behind her. As he pondered on her words, he felt something off about the scroll's texture. Flipping it over, he saw a little piece of paper stuck onto it with some writing.

"Await further instruction from the next visit. We're getting you out," it read. After he committed it to memory, he did what years' of experience in the Fang taught him and he ate the note. Was it the Fang? No, it couldn't be. They were handy in their spy network but with this level of security? Impossible. Atlas? His family?

'In my dreams,' he dismissed.

As he continued to ponder, a piece of information came back to him. Why was he being given to the Britannians? They had zero business with the Fang, much less him! Sure, they were known for being more progressive with faunus rights but that did not explain why he was singled out! With their tight borders, escaping to the empire was mostly a pipe dream! Still, there was no other main suspect. So as he racked his brain, trying to find an answer, one thought kept coming back to him.

'What the fuck was going on?'

Meanwhile, a stoic Bianca Hail was walking down the hospital corridors, tapping away on her tablet when she paused. Her gaze gained clarity then confusion before glancing back down at the tablet. She shook her head to get rid of the grogginess it seemed to have. Must've drunk too much at the banquet. Not that she minded. That Lelouch kid was fun to have a conversation with.

What was she doing again?

As her eyes scanned the device, they widened in recognition upon seeing in big bold font:

**-PRISONER PROFILE-**

**NAME: OCHRE NAGO**

**HEIGHT: 7"0**

**WEIGHT: 175 lbs**

**AFFILIATION: WHITE FANG (LIEUTENANT)**

**CHARGES: TERRORISM, DESTRUCTION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY, ASSAULT, BATTERY, MURDER expand list…**

**NOTABLE TRAITS: BOAR FAUNUS, FEATURES MANIFESTED AS TUSKS**

**TRANSFER TO: LADON SUPERMAX PRISON**

**CONFIRM?**

'Oh right. That,' she reminded herself. She promptly did a final scan to make sure everything was in order. Then she submitted the profile and completed the final steps. 'Done and done!'

She took a quick stretch before she made a beeline for the elevator, determined to get as much RnR as she could before she was called on duty again. Yet she felt as if something was off. But she could not put a finger on it. She did all the prisoners already. She oversaw Torchwick's afternoon interrogation. She did everything on her list for the day.

So why did she feel so… uneasy?

* * *

Back when he was just a regular street thug, Roman loved to irritate the hell out of the police. So much so that whenever he found himself arrested and in jail, he would make it a point to annoy the guards as much as possible, that is until he was released, of course, courtesy of his godfather. Almost like a game.

Bonus points if he could gaslight them or force them to switch out early.

So high in the sky, in one of the Atlesian airships, Roman Torchwick did his best to be as _obnoxious and annoying_ as possible. First it was complaining about the cell conditions. Then it was requesting a trip to the toilet every half hour or so. Now he was singing a _very beautiful and rousing_ (read: ear piercing and off key as hell) rendition of a folk song. One he remembered his old man used to sing to him as a kid.

Oum how he missed him at times.

"Ala_S,_ m**Y** love, y**O**u do _ME_ w_RO_ng,

**TO** cas_T_ **M**e o**F**f_ D_i_S_c**OUR**teo_US_ly.

**FOR** I hav_E_ lo_**VE**_d you **WELL** and_ L_o**N**g,

_De_**LIGHT**ing in **Y**ou_R_ **_COM_**pany."

He snickered to himself when he heard the current pair of guards outside begin to moan and groan in exhaustion. His response? He proceeded to belt out the chorus as scratchily and pitchy as possible.

"STOP! For the love of Oum stop!" cried one of the guards as he banged the door.

"Only if you let me out of here!" proclaimed Roman in a singsong manner.

The stifled sobs of frustration was music to his ears.

Roman, you are outdoing yourself,' he self congratulated. 'Torchwick 1. Dumb Atlas guards 0.'

Just as he was about to begin serenading them with the second verse, he was _rudely_ interrupted by his cell door hissing open. In walked another Atlas… officer? In his hands was a tray of food. Weird. Usually the guards would be the ones on meal duty. Not that it bothered him. He was all for spiting higher authority.

"Good afternoon, officer! How are you?I hope your day was horrible!" he greeted with faux politeness.

"Oh it could have been worse Torchwick," the officer said as he set down the tray, extended its legs to form the table and undid Roman's wrist shackles. As the mobster rubbed his sore wrists, he continued to pay attention to the officer in front of him. "You seem awfully chipper given the circumstances."

"Well I find that optimism is the best way to improve one's mood. What's it to you? Also, any chance you could undo the big one?" he asked, pointing to a large belt that wrapped around his waist and was connected to the wall."

"Nothing. Nothing at all. It seems to be working. I could hear you from the bridge," noted the officer as he closed the door behind him. After it hissed shut and locked with a soft *click*, he turned back to the criminal, leaning against the door. "Though most would say that's denial. Also, no."

"Ha! Fuck what they would say," scoffed Roman. "So are you just gonna stand there?"

"Yes I am," replied the officer. Now that he was stil, Roman realised that the cap cast a shadow over the officer's eyes. And he seemed to be deliberately avoiding the light of the single bulb in the center of the cell.

"Why? You some kind of vampire? Afraid of the light?" japed Roman smugly.

"No. Nothing of the sort," chuckled his companion. "Onto a different topic, that was an interesting song, butchered singing aside. I don't think many heard it before."

"It's a family song. And if you're trying to get me to talk, you're doing a shitty job," remarked Torchwick as he leaned back and put his arms behind his head, one leg over the other. "I already told mister Big and my answer stays the same. I'm the boss! And don't you forget it!"

"Right and dogs go to the butterfly farm," dismissed the officer. Pushing off the wall, he slouched and pulled out a scroll from his pocket.

"Slouching now?" taunted Roman as he shoveled a spoonful of gruel into his mouth. "Didn't think you snobs could do that, what with those sticks so far up your asses and all. What would Mr Ironwood say if he saw you?"

"Not much, seeing as to how he has never actually seen me," replied the soldier, not bothering to look up from the scroll.

"Wait what?"

"Enough about me. Let's talk about you," said the officer all of a sudden, pocketing the scroll. "You know, I didn't think that of all the music in the world, that such a song would be one you enjoyed. That your taste would so closely match your father's."

"Be careful now," growled the mobster. "You're on thin ass ice."

"Why would I care about your dead old man?"

Roman slammed his hands on the table, its flimsy frame shaking under the shock. "You watch your fucking mouth!" growled Torchwick. "Don't talk shit about my old man. You know jack shit about me!"

"Oh your file would say otherwise, Torchwick. It was very informative," calmly replied the officer, hands now clasped behind his back. "I know that your father raised you well, as much as he could. What would he say if he saw you now?"

"Fuck you! You don't know him!" hissed back Roman. He had not felt this angry in a long time. Whoever this prick was, he was good.

"Hah! If anything, I know more about him than you do," answered the officer condescendingly. That caught Roman off guard.

"W-what do you mean?!" he asked, emotions a mix of confusion and rage. "He wasn't no snooty ass Atlesian!"

"I never said that Jonathan was," replied the source of his anger.

"You have no right to say his name!"

"The song's called Greensleeves," said the officer out of the blue. Just like that, Roman's rage turned to shock and surprise, his mouth slack-jawed and hanging open.

"H-how do you know that?" he asked in trepidation.

"Like I said, I know more than you. How do you think I know your supposed 'family song'? Or that it's called Greensleeves?"

"Who are you?!"

"La lanterne brûle brillamment," spoke the officer. The words hit Roman like a truck and suddenly, all that fear, anger, shock and outrage left his eyes, replaced by a wide-eyed look of understanding, of comprehension as he tried to process years' of information.

Was it really time?

"Citizen of the underempire, know your place," spoke the officer with finality. With those words, Roman visibly calmed down, his eyes narrowed, any trace of smugness, arrogance or panic gone.

"So it's really time then?" asked the now collected criminal, his hands unclenching and his shoulders lowering.

"Yes," was the curt reply of the officer.

"Fine then." Roman sat back down on his bench, put one leg over the other and crossed his arms. "What do you need? I'm all ears."

"Good to see your calm," remarked the officer as he took a step forward, putting himself in the light. Squatting down, he put himself at Roman's eye level and looked into his eyes.

'Interesting colour,' noted Roman.

"Now then," he said, **"Listen close and listen well. Here are your orders and what I need of you."**

As the officer spoke, a pair of determined eyes of violet shined under the cap.

**Kingdom Profiles**

Subject: Britannia

Also known as:

-Britannian Empire

-Holy Britannian Empire (defunct)

-The Lesser Atlas

-Kingdom of Exiles

-The Fifth Kingdom

-The Dragon Continent

-The New Old World

-Kingdom of Beasts

Duchies:

-Britannia

-Mordia

-Valhalla

-Elysia

-Ventrillia

The Kingdom of Britannia, named after its founder Maria von Britannia, primarily consists of five major regions, also known as duchies. Old Britannia and Mordia lay to the east, Valhalla to the north, Elysia to the west and Ventrillia to the south, with smaller subregions, villages and even armies existing within them. Collectively, they are known as Britannia. Remarkably, seemingly by sheer force of will and a strong community effort, the Kingdom has been able to make, sustain and expand inland settlements, with even a few cities. In more recent history, Britannia has expanded its territory to cover some of the islands surrounding the continent, such as the Catachan archipelago and north Nihon.

Curiously, the people of Britannia do not follow the same cultural conventions as the rest of us. One very noticeable difference is their naming conventions. They never took part in the Great War and hence never found reason nor cultural drive to embrace what we perceive today as normal. They do not follow the colour-inspired names that we do.

That is to be expected given that they were in isolation for most of the Kingdom's existence barring a few outlying acts of diplomacy, trade and war. Along with what seems to be an innate compulsion to defy the conventions of Remnant (especially Atlas), they proudly maintain a monarchy. Furthermore, the Kingdom still embraces multilingualism, with each region sustaining dialects which are otherwise archaic. It was only recently, with the 98th Emperor's opening of the country and the Nihon crisis that the rest of Remnant was able to see its Fifth Kingdom without restriction.

_-A Brief Introduction to Britannia, by Dr Bartholemew Oobleck_

_Translations:_

_'The Lantern Burns Bright'_

_Preview- Far Future_

"Why hello there, Aunt Aggy."

* * *

"Hey, it's okay! I'm not going to hurt you. Here, I brought some food!"

* * *

"What about the incident on that express train? The murders?"

"Oh you mean les assassinats d'orient? That was all me."

* * *

"I knew you looked better in red."

* * *

"What's this? A second crush?"

* * *

"Fight! Fight to the bitter end! To your last breath!"

* * *

"I remember the war like it was yesterday."

* * *

"This is our turf now!"

* * *

"Perhaps we could come to an agreement."

* * *

"This is all you Britannians' fault!"

* * *

"Komu prinadlezhit sever!?"

**Hello again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Do lmk if there's any format, grammatical or spelling errors. Any advice on how to improve is welcome as always! (But try not to be too mean pls. I'm fragile. Also because courtesy/netiquette [do people still use that word?])**

**Did you guess the references? It's okay if you googled them I totally do that too.**

**I also hope you guys enjoy the little tidbits of info and sneak peeks/previews at the end of each chapter. It's hard to build a whole ass OC nation (so to speak) so I hope you guys like it? Do comment your thoughts!**

**Before I go off and move on with life, I wish you guys, one more time, good health and safety. You can get through this and you don't need to do it alone. Look to your friends and family. They will support you and you them.**

**I've nothing else to say. So until next time, this is backwardsaile signing out.**


	7. Just another normal day

**Hey everyone! Backwardsaile here!**

**So, a new chapter is finally out! Sound the horns! Tell the good people! Raise the banners! There will be bread and circuses and feasts and tourneys and org-**

**Okay I'll stop now. Seriously though, I'm happy to say that I've finally finished the new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it and if there's any crucial grammatical or spelling mistakes or even some criticisms you want to share, feel free to! Just be courteous (thanks).**

**I'm sorry for taking so long to upload! Life outside has been taking up most of my time! Serving your mandatory term occupies a HUGEASS portion of your time in a day and studying to retake an exam does too. Combine that with trying to get an ample(ish) amount of sleep and vóila! **

**You get me.**

**So I just want to thank you all for sticking by despite my terribly erratic schedule. I won't take up much more time. Just gonna answer some reviews and give some personal words.**

**Werwolffr: Glad to see you're enthusiastic with "Macavity"! Also, I'm not sure whether you're referring to the Nemean in the previous chapter (which is very clearly stated to be a GRIMM) or whether it's your own imagination. Short answer, no. Very unlikely for me to include such archaic units (sorry to disappoint). I already mentioned how KMFs are a thing in this universe. Though you have given me some ideas.**

**Dragon Lord Syed 101 (cool name!): Can't really say because spoilers. And no. I'm sorry but C.C (who is best girl) will not be appearing. I already said it in the previous chapter but to reiterate, I don't see how she would fit in the world of RWBY without basically making her an OC, which I don't want.**

**Now onto personal talks. I hope you're all keeping safe, no matter where you are. We have been hit by tragedies left-right and centre, from the Beirut explosion and California wildfires to the Wisconsin incident and even the chaos that is the upcoming elections among other things. I just want to say that no matter who you are, where you are, you can always be thankful for what you have. Confide in friends and family if you're feeling scared or frightened. It is easier to get through these things as a group than as an individual (insert the kinda cheesy African quote on friendship and bonds that applies aptly here).**

**With that out of the way, I've said my piece. So onto the fic!**

Chapter 6 (Uploaded 27/08/20) (Last updated: 09/09/20, some grammar corrections + some minor content that somehow did not upload the first time. Also please take part in the polls thx!)

_The world was young, the mountains green. No fractures on the moon were seen. No words were laid on stream or stone when Durin woke and walked alone._

_-"Song Of Durin", Old Britannian Hymn, origin unknown_

The city of Vale was quiet, lulled to sleep by the sound of rain that had gently washed away all the wounds it had suffered in the morn. Nowhere were the fears of being attacked by the Grimm. Instead, there was joy and appreciation for life, with the denizens going out with friends, celebrating their lives and their survival. While the morning was a time of destruction and chaos, now was the time for recovery. A time of peace and tranquility. The city was at peace.

The same could not be said for a few unfortunate residents, namely one Macquar "Mac" Vanetti. As he lay dazed on the cold concrete of an alleyway, deep in the seedy belly of Vale's industrial district, his mind went back to replay the events leading up to this moment, faintly aware of the shouts of pain in the background.

-Flashback-

_Mac was feeling lucky. Very lucky._

_After the shock to the underworld that was Torchwick's arrest, the Alpinista Family, otherwise known as the 'Pioneers' (for some contrived reason), had met up and quickly drew plans to swoop in on the power vacuum. To bring the family back to its glory days before the heavyweight that was Roman Torchwick came in and hogged everything. _

_And to his fortune, Mac was one of several placed in charge of this endeavour. Which meant that he would get a lion's share of the rewards! He could almost taste the glory, which tasted like caviar and champagne. No more scrounging around the family. No more licking the boots of other members. Soon, they would bow to him!_

_And so, as he made his way back from the long meeting to his little plot of territory, he shared his joy with his muscle. And he was happy to see them feel the same way, regardless of the light drizzle overhead._

_"Man boss! Can't believe you're finally moving up!" congratulated Tommaso Rosso Huey._

_"It's about time really. You deserve it!" chimed in Harold Azu Huey._

_"Yeah boss! We's gotta drink and celebrate!" happily snorted Richard Zelen Huey. Behind the trio, the rest of Mac's posse cheered in approval. _

_"Hah! You guys…" Mac laughed dismissively, shaking his head. As they continued to make their way down the alley, the sound of laughter and… jazz? could be faintly heard in the distance, seeming to come from the end of the pathway. Sandwiched between two factories was a rusted and green metal door, illuminated by pink neon lights that almost glaringly blasted the name "The Three Brothers" into the face of its patrons. But he didn't mind._

_There was no place like home after all._

_"You know what?" he asked, nearing the door. Turning around, he continued speaking to them. "I'm feeling generous tonight! Drinks on me boys!"_

_Loud whoops and raucous cheers erupted from the men, anticipating a good time. Letting out a small chuckle, Mac turned back to the door and knocked on it with a little knocker affixed to its centre._

_*THUD THUD THUD*_

_"Yo Gatey! Open up!" he called out. Now usually, standard entry procedure was to knock, wait for the maître d' to open up the speakeasy grille, say the password and then you were let in. But he was the boss. He owned the place damnit! Besides, they knew him. He could come and go as he pleased._

_So it was really weird that no one came to answer after a minute. "Maybe he's on his break?" suggested Azu._

_"Nah. I bet he's drinking himself blind again!" japed Tommaso._

_"I think he's chasing one of the girls again," chortled Zelen. While the other chuckled, MAC was more annoyed than anything. C'mon! His night was just getting good! Don't ruin it now!_

_He knocked on the door again, harder this time. "Gatey! You there!?"_

_Still no answer._

_Sensing their boss's growing irritation, the chuckles and giggles died down. "Maybe we should call him..?" asked Tommaso uncertainly._

_"Tsk!"_

_But it seemed that Mac did not hear his henchman's suggestion. Instead, he neglected the knocker and pounded on the door with his fist._

_"Yo what the fuck! Gatey! Open up!" he hollered out._

_"You know, if that's what he has to go through every night, I can see why he pursues such vices."_

_Whipping around in surprise, Mac's simmering rage was redirected to the **idiot** that decided to poke his nose in his business._

_The dead man stood facing them, blocking the path out to the street. From the pink lighting, they could make out a dark trenchcoat, fine black gloves, a purple suit with gold trim, a white cravat and a black belt. They couldn't quite see his head, seeming to be covered by some reflective or light-emitting material, shining a garish pink glare into their eyes. But their focus was drawn to what was beside the intruder. It was human in shape, slumped and nearly collapsing on the ground if not for being held up by the back of its collar. Short hair and a fine suit indicated it to be a man and as the intruder shifted his arm back, the figure's head lolled to the side. Mac's eyes widened in shock. That wasn't just anybody. That looked like…_

_"Gatey! You bastard! What'd you do to 'im?!" cried out Azu. The maître d' of the Three Brothers looked worse for wear. Drool, snot and blood trickled out of his mouth and nose, staining his white collar. His left eye was all black and swollen, his nose looked like it took a beating and from his loud, laboured breathing, he looked to be in pain and missing a few teeth._

_"Oh, the worm? Nothing much. Just had a little talk with him is all," the dead man replied nonchalantly. Just then, when Mac was about to sic his goons on the man, Gatey mumbled out a few unintelligible words._

_"Sorry what was that?" asked the aggressor, bending down while pulling Gatey up. With his focus entirely on the man in front of him, Mac took notice of the metallic tinge he had to his voice. Not that he cared really. He was too angry and focused on tearing the idiot a new one._

_Unfortunately for him, that meant he failed to notice the faint sound of footsteps on the rooftops above._

_"T-to hell wid yoo, thaunus threak!" he slurred out. If that garnered a reaction from his assailant, he revealed nothing. Instead, he let out an exaggerated sigh._

_"Aww! You ruined the surprise! Where's the fun in that?!" the man asked in an unsettlingly chipper manner. Then in a blur of motion, he threw Gatey to the ground. Hard. "Pathetic," he coldly said._

_A dull *crack* was heard upon impact. Combined with a new moan of pain from Gatey and a loud *thud* as the man's black shoe stomped onto his head, some of the more apprehensive members began to think twice about charging in._

_"That does it! Tear him a new one boys!" cried out Mac as he reached for the pistol in his suit. With a furious cry, Zelen charged forward, ready to splatter some faunus brains in the pavement with his knuckle dusters._

_"Take this you freak!"_

_A black figure slammed into Zelen from above, the dull sound of metal hitting flesh ringing out as the Huey brother was brutally slammed face first into the concrete._

_"Well? Aren't you going to attack me?" taunted the man._

_"Get him!" ordered Mac, drawing his revolver. Then, he felt his feet leave himself just as he fired off a shot, making it go wide. A sharp crack rammed into his temple, his head jerking to the side. He painfully bounced off a nearby wall, dropped his pistol and the next thing he knew, he was staring at the sky._

-Flashback end-

The cold and sharp feeling of rain on his skin brought him back to the present as he felt two pairs of arms grab his own and force him to his feet. All around he could see his muscle strewn about the alley. Some lay on the floor, others slumped against the wall. Tommaso's rear end was hanging out of a dumpster, Zelen was still unconscious in the ground and Azu was thrown through the brick wall of one of the buildings. Some were knocked out, others were groaning in pain and not getting up in some time. Not that he could really hear them now that the _gentle drizzle_ that started earlier had now ramped itself up into a downpour. The icy droplets beat themselves into the ground and men alike, roaring out in a torrential orchestra and ruining expensive suits.

Yet, somehow, he could hear his assailants' conversation. Though his head swam and their words came out muffled. _He was probably concussed._

"Wakey wakey, Mr Vanetti!" A splash of cold water crashed into his face, making him gasp for air out of surprise and turning his attention to the man in front of him. _Or not._

With water pouring down his face, it took him all his might to glare at the _cunt_ that taunted him. So imagine his surprise when he found his reflection glaring right back at him.

Now that he was up close, he could see his opponent's visage or lack thereof. What he saw was a full-faced mask with a violet, reflective visor in the centre, probably for seeing. The mask, which looked more like a helmet to him, was black and spiky, with prongs sticking up and out the back and a golden line running along what would be the chin.

Oum, he looked pathetic. In the curved, reflective surface of the visor, he could see himself. His dusty blonde-hair was caked in blood, from a cut on his temple, and alleyway muck. His fine suit was soiled and bloodied and his face was marred by a bleeding trail.

"Are we awake now?" came a sickly sweet voice. With all the spite he could muster, he hacked out a great wallop of spit and _expectorated_, right smack in the middle of the taunting reflection.

'Heh! That'll show him!' Mac thought impishly, waiting for an outburst. As his opponent's hand reached over to him, he braced for an impact.

Instead, the hand made a beeline for Mac's chest pocket, where it fished out a slightly soiled but otherwise relatively clean and expensive looking handkerchief. Dabbing away at the trail the spit had left, the man wiped off the offending fluid, all the while making nary a sound.

"Is this yours?" his metallic voice asked rhetorically. Not giving Mac a chance to answer, the assailant tucked it away in his coat. "I think I'll keep it. As a memo."

A loud cry sounded out behind him. Turning around, he lashed out a kick and sent a charging Zelen careening into a window. Taking the opportunity, Mac shook himself loose of his captors' grasp and swung a wild haymaker at the back of the masked man's neck.

Only for a gloved hand to wrap around his fist and stop it dead in its metaphorical tracks. A sharp blow to his inside knee saw Mac's footing crumble, leaning all his weight on the support of the two figures, who had quickly reaffirmed their grip on his arms, even tighter than before.

"Is that all?" taunted the man. Mac, still reeling from the pain, could not bring himself to answer. Suddenly, his eyes bulged out and spittle shot out of his mouth as a black gloved fist rocketed into his gut. As he gasped for air, he heard his attacker say to an unseen person, "Go ahead and prepare her, Mr Gris."

Turning back to Mac, the masked man then looked to his two other companions and ordered "Drop him."

In a moment, Mac found himself kissing the wet, wet concrete. As he struggled to his feet, he heard the sound of fine leather shoes striking concrete move to the side, then back to his center. And just as he got to his knees, he felt the chilly touch of steel placed against his forehead. Glancing up, he found his still unknown attacker staring him down the barrel of a gun.

His gun.

"I must say! Very intricate engravings Mackie boy!" appraised the man. As he did so, he removed the barrel from Mac's forehead and began to look it over, admiring the details. Mac breathed a sigh of relief.

"Unfortunately,"

Only to blanch when he saw the barrel being gripped in a very familiar way.

_Oh no._

"NO TACTICAL ADVANTAGE WHATSOEVER!"

The pistol's butt smashed into the gangster's jaw, sending him onto the floor again. As he landed, he could taste iron and felt a tooth come loose.

"Pick him up Mr Blau."

Just as quickly as he was brought down, he was hoisted back up by his right arm.

"Pop him."

The man holding him _wrenched_ his arm upward, painfully yanking it from his socket and making a wet *pop* squelch out. Mac cried out and clutched his arm as it was released, sinking to his knees and sobbing in pain.

As he collected himself, he looked up to his assailant and to the two men flanking him, who wore black slacks, black boots and black, zipped up leather jackets with silver lining and hoods pulled up, brandishing heavy-looking lead pipes in gloved hands. What caught his eye though were the masks they wore. Those markings were iconic of one group and one group only.

The White Fang.

Except not quite. These were full-faced masks, separated into two plates that overlapped at the nose level. Instead of it being a matte alabaster white, these jet black variants were given a shiny, polished, almost crystalline finish, which seemed to accentuate the glowing, dark crimson lines that ran all over the mask. Combined with how they towered over him, the situation was one that would've vowed lesser men.

"The fuck you White Fang freaks want with me?!"

That seemed to trigger something in the man as the next moment, a loud ***CRACK*** rang out. Mac clutched his right ear with his good hand and cried out in pain, futilely trying to block out a sharp, pitchy ringing in his ear.

The man passed Mac's smoking pistol over to the yet unnamed henchman and strode towards Mac, who was too focused on the pain to notice.

"Now listen here," hissed the metal voice as he painfully gripped Mac's sore jaw. He pulled the mobster closer, so close that his breath began to fog up the visor. "You don't ever lump us together with those fools, understand?" whispered the voice into his ear. As he did, his grasp on Mac's jaw tightened, earning a squeezed out whimper as some form of acknowledgement. Despite the thunderous sound of the rain beating the city into submission, the man's words were crystal clear to Mac. They may as well have been screamed at him.

"Good." Then, he released Mac and let him fall to the ground, moving back to his men. Mac meanwhile took a few deep breaths, pushing back the pain enough to rationalise thought.

"What do you want?" he asked tiredly, becoming desperate.

"What do **I** want?" repeated the man. "Hah! Personally, I want nothing from scum like you." As he said that, he retrieved the revolver and began to play with the revolver's cylinder. "If I had my way," he said thumbing the revolver, eliciting a series of foreboding *clicks*, "I would put you down right here like the savage beast you are!" He spun the cylinder with the proclamation, the loud *whizzz* startling the now on-edge Mac.

"I know what you've done, Vanetti!" accused the man. "Selling faunus girls as whores, sending the vulnerable to mines for favours, extortion. Even your fighting pits." He hissed out the examples, the man's voice clearly now one of anger. "Fortunately for you, it's not my job to try you for those crimes." In an unnerving 180 of his mood, the man had gone from quiet seething to seeming serenity in a snap.

"You see, I am working together with a very close friend of mine," he began, pacing back and forth. Meanwhile, one of his henchmen, Mr Blau from what he remembered, had moved behind Mac and began steadily tapping his weapon, a blunt steel pipe, against his palm. Audibly.

"While he is held back by unforeseen circumstances, he needs my help," he continued. "I am to be his extension as he takes a break with Atlas."

"What would Torchwick want with you guys?" asked Mac, figuring out the man's 'friend'.

"Quality muscle and enforcement," the man answered factually. "Regardless, we are responsible for maintaining his share of the underworld at all costs. Even if a few major heads rolled."

"Are you insane?! Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?! There's no way you'll take down all of us!" cried out Mac.

"Hey! Quiet!" gruffly reminded Mr Blau, tapping the base of his skull with the pipe.

"No, no. It's fine," assured the man. "And to answer your question, of course I do! And I'm gonna do my job regardless."

"That's some confidence coming from a loony in a Halloween costume," quipped Mac in false security.

"Oh, I assure you. I am not _confident_ in my chances of success. I _know_ that I will succeed," he boldly proclaimed.

The loud and stifled grunts of someone struggling could be heard around the corner, drawing the men's attention.

"Let go of me!" cried a woman's voice. Mac's eyes widened.

The door of Mac's little club swung open and out stumbled a pretty brunette woman in a midnight blue cocktail dress amidst a cacophony of blaring jazz. Behind was a third henchman, dressed in the same getup as the other two. He looked to be a little shorter than the other two. A bit skinnier too. And while the two goons with him had pipes, this guy had a leather shoulder holster, which was currently empty.

Probably pointed at the woman.

"Mackie!" she cried upon seeing his battered state. She rushed towards him, forgetting about the danger of the situation, and cradled his head in her chest, uncaring about the mess. "Are you alright? What did you do to him?!" she demanded, glaring at the aggressors. 'Lapis,' Mac sighed gratefully.

"Ooh feisty!" the man commented as he bent down to taunt them. Her arm whipped to slap him and he effortlessly caught it in his hand. "A slap? Really?" he dryly noted.

"Fat lot that would do you!" his voice increased in volume as his grip tightened on her wrist, eliciting a whimper from her. "Hey! Stay away from her!"

"I don't think I will. In fact, I'll need her!" As he said that, he yanked her to her feet and slung her to the brick wall behind him. At the same time, the yet-to-be-named thug moved behind Mac. "Mr Gris. If you would."

Any angry demand either would have made was quelled with the heart-stopping ***click*** of a safety disengaging. Lapis stood frozen, her back to the wall, face pale and hands in the air as she looked down the barrel towards the crystalline black mask in a silent plea.

"Please. Don't do this," she choked out, lip quivering in fear.

"Lapis! It's okay baby! I'll get you out of this!" A dismissive snort of "doubt it" came from behind him. But that only steeled Mac's resolve. Nobody hurts his girl!

"Please, sir. Please let us go!" she begged.

"With what he's done? Not a chance," he flatly answered, turning to her.

"You must understand! He was forced into this position! He did not have full control!"

"Yeah right."

"Take me instead!"

"Now that," he paused, turning back to Mac, "is not a bad idea actually."

"Really?!"

"No way! I ain't letting you!"

"That's not up to you to decide now is it?" remarked the man. He stood back up to full height and looked to Lapis.

"Lovely idea, Miss Lapis. But I'm afraid I must decline."

"Now, 'Mackie'," he started without looking at him, "I will give you three chances to guess what I want. Guess correctly, and you both keep your lives. Fail-"

Mr Gris, one hand on his pistol, drew another from his shoulder holster and trained it one Lapis, another ***click*** sounding out like a death knell.

"-,she loses hers. And to show I'm completely serious," he gestured to Mr Gris, who raised a gun and fired at a nearby window, the sound of shattering glass confirming its lethality and startling an "eep!" out of Lapis.

"we have our kind demonstration there," he finished. "Any questions?"

Mac grit his teeth, his rage at a boiling point from his useless position and seeing his girl in mortal danger. "You can go suck a big fat-"

A shot rang out and a chunk of wall a foot away from Lapis' face was blasted away, making her shrink from fear.

"Ah ah ah," the man scolded condescendingly, wagging a finger at the mobster. "Language, Mr Macquar. That was your final warning. One more time and all three chances are spent. Surely you don't want that, do you?"

"Mac. Please…" whimpered Lapis.

"Fine! I'll play your stupid game," he ground out begrudgingly.

"Splendid! Now, what do you think I and my client want?"

"Money!"

A brick to the left of Lapis was shot to pieces and she cried out in terror. "Mmm," mused the man, "not a bad addition Mac. But not what I'm looking for. Try again."

In fear of Lapis' mortal peril, Mac started to lose focus, his heart pounding in his head. What kind of big shot criminal didn't want money?! As he racked his brain for answers, only one other obvious answer came to mind.

"T-Territory! Turf!" he threw out in desperation. Please be correct please be correct please be correct.

"Ouch," winced the man, "no spice there Mackie boy. Not our primary objective. One more chance." As he said that, another shot was loosed, shattering another brick right above and to the right of Lapis' head. So struck with terror was she that her body refused to shrink in fear nor did her mouth make a move to cry out. Her terror was only let out by a whimper.

"Make it count."

Mac thought long and hard, as much as he could given the circumstances anyway. What was Torchwick doing the past few weeks. Was there anything that he targeted? Anything at all? After deliberating on the answer, he settled on one.

"Dust! You guys are looking for dust right?!"

A silence hung in the air, Lapis and Mac holding their breaths, hoping it was correct.

"Very wise answer Mackie," the man began. Hope swelled in Mac's chest. Maybe they could get out of this.

Only for it to all come crashing down right after. "But alas, not what we're looking for. You were not even close. Mr Gris! If you would." He turned to Lapis and a look of horrified realisation came upon her face.

"No!"

She surged forward, trying to escape, only to be shoved back against the wall and have two pistols pointed at her face.

"Lapis!"

He made a desperate attempt to leap to her defence and took a hard pipe to the ribs for his effort. He doubled over and groaned in pain, all the while trying to get back up.

"Pick him up. I want him to see this."

Two pairs of familiar arms latched onto him and yanked him upright and he hissed in pain as his shoulder was aggravated. But as he looked at Lapis and the sheer terror she felt, anything else he felt was shoved to the back of his mind.

"Please! Don't do this!" he cried out as he strained against his binds.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that," came a cold reply. Looking at Lapis, the man crossed his arms and watched as Mr Gris flicked the safeties of his guns with a ***click***.

"You don't need to involve her in this! She's innocent!" protested Mac. But to no avail.

"The time for pleading and bargaining is past, Mr Vanetti. Now, suffer the pain you brought upon so many innocents!"

"Mac, I'm sorry," sobbed out Lapis.

"Please just tell me what you want?! Money?! Drugs?!"

He was met with stony silence, the rain being the only noise he heard.

"Territory?! Women?!"

Still more rain.

"Mr Gris! Ready!"

"No!"

"Aim!"

"I'll give you anything! Everything!" he cried out desperately.

"...stand down, Mr Gris."

As said henchman holstered his weapons, Lapis collapsed to her knees, trembling yet thankful to whoever was watching for sparing her.

"Anything you say?", repeated the man. "Well, not what we're looking for but a great opportunity. I suppose you can start by telling us about your WAREHOUSES!" As he said that, he dug his heel into Mac's shoulder and ground it in, making him whine out in poorly-held pain. Quickly, he blubbered out the locations of the family's stores around the Kingdom of Vale, mostly in the capital. Once done, to Mac's relief, the pressure on his shoulder was relieved.

He turned to look back at the still trembling Lapis, who held her shoulders as she quivered in the pouring rain.

"Congratulations, Miss Lazuli. Your boyfriend here, and you, get to keep your lives."

She nervously pulled a smile upon hearing the news, one which quickly turned to confusion when she saw a scroll being tossed at her.

"Now call the police."

"Why?"

"Because," he started turning to the kneeling Mac, "Macquar here still has to suffer retribution."

"Hold him up."

As he was hoisted to his feet, Mac saw Lapis begin to dial the number under the man's watchful… eye.

"Now, Mr Vanetti, witness the pain you brought to so many. Mr Gris!"

What were they gonna do to him?!

"Hello, police?!"

"Cap him, would you kindly?"

Oh no.

Two shots rang out with a thunderclap and Mac cried in pain, his knees now bloodied and sporting 2 holes in them. Meanwhile, Lapis had cried out in terror before managing to stutter out her location. Just then, she felt a hand grab the back of her neck and sling her over to Mac, who was now similarly held from the back of his collar. She rushed to his side and held him closer and tighter as if he would slip away.

"Did she say all that was needed?" asked the man to one of his goons.

"Yes," the henchman replied curtly.

"Perfect."Looking towards the couple, the man spoke. "So we've come to an agreement, Mr Vanetti. Any questions?"

"Who are you?" slurred out Mac, pain beginning to numb his mind.

"Hmm. I suppose I could tell you that after all that's happened. But first," he bent down towards them and thunder roared overhead, barely blocking out the wail of sirens in the distance. A section of the mask popped out and slid away, revealing a pair of eyes. Eyes that were so...so… entrancing.

**"Look into my eyes and heed me."**

"We heed you, my lord," the two mumbled out in unison.

**"Good,"** the silky metallic voice praised.

**"And please, call me Zero."**

* * *

The canteen of Beacon Academy was rife with activity, the muted hustle and bustle filled the air as half-awake students gathered for breakfast.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Yang asked Ruby with a mouthful of eggs.

"Yep!" her sister chirped. She looked to team JNPR, who were in their own conversation and asked their leader, "So Jaune. Did you guys end up shadowing that sheriff in Dune?"

"Oh yeah! That," said Jaune. "Unfortunately, no. The sheriff postponed the mission. We're due to leave in a few days' time."

"Speaking of which," spoke up Yang, "what exactly were you guys meant to do?"

"If I'm remembering the job description correctly, desert survival and basic law enforcement," recalled Pyrrha.

The group of 8 descended into small talk, swapping stories on what they did yesterday.

"You know what's something I just realised?" asked Jaune. "We haven't seen Port all morning. He's usually here earlier than us right?"

Come to think of it, he was right. The students paused to think back. About how he was usually there every breakfast, greeting them and chatting them up with an energy waaayy beyond his years. So where was he?

"You know, I overheard him talking to Dr Oobleck yesterday. He mentioned something about 'going on a crawl' with the Britannians. Later in the evening, I spotted him taking a bullhead to town," noted Weiss.

"Sounds like you were following him, Weisscream." remarked Yang with a mouthful of cereal. "Why? Trying to stalk him and the newcomers now? Got a crush? Geez, it's only been a day!"

"W-what?! No!" denied Weiss. Her face burned with flustered outrage. "For your information, I wanted to gather information on the competition!"

"Like with Sun?" asked Ruby.

"Exactly!"

"Rrrrright."

"Oh shut up you. "

"Now that you mention it, where is LRGS?" pointed out Blake. If they were here, it would've been obvious with all the curious stares and whispers. Not everyday you get to see so-called 'Warmongers'.

"No idea," shrugged Yang, "Though now that you said it, I think what Port said sounds like a p-"

The doors to the cafeteria unceremoniously slammed open with a loud *BANG*, bringing all conversation to a grinding halt. All attention turned to the entrance, most of the students couldn't make heads nor tails of the sight before them.

Shambling in and groaning like the living dead were five men, one in a recognisable maroon jacket and four in sleek black uniforms with gold trim and a silver left shoulder.

Port trudged his way to an empty table, one hand on an ice pack pressed against his head. Gino, Suzaku and Rolo were leaning on each other, barely hanging as they trailed behind him.

Meanwhile, Lelouch looked the worse for wear. He had broken off from the group toward the counter, only to be redirected by Dr Oobleck, with dark bags under his eyes, somehow even worse than the previous days'. To his credit, he only had a mild look of pain on his face.

As the four plonked down onto the benches with a *thump*, the black-haired leader came to the table with a tray, carrying five steaming mugs of coffee. With accompanying additions.

For some odd reason, the vacant table they chose to sit at, if you could call 'barely-upright/slumped-on-the-table-face-first' that, was right next to the eight students.

"Good morning Professor! Good morning Team LRGS!" chirped Ruby. For some reason, all ability to read body language left her mind at that moment and Yang cringed in embarrassment.

Her sister was so dense at time.

A collective groan and cries of "Stop!", "Shuddup!" and "Not right now Ruby!" sprang from the quintet, all cringing and covering their ears in pain.

"Please," groaned Gino, "not until we've had our coffee."

"Oh," she shrank dejectedly. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright Rubes," comforted Yang. "They're just hungover."

"Coooofffffeeeee," moaned out Gino, weakly grasping hold of a mug.

"Yeah what's up?" asked a passing Coco.

"Noooot youuuuuu," responded Lelouch half-dead.

"Thank you Barty," muttered Port as he took a gulp of the steaming black liquid.

"Bottoms up."

"Down the hatch."

"Thank Oum."

"Cafffeeeiiinne."

The quintet downed their black ambrosia in one go and slammed down the empty mugs onto the table.

"Much better," sighed Suzaku. Somehow, they miraculously looked as good as new, glowing with newfound energy, barring those eyebags.

"So, hows everyone?" asked Rolo in a too-cheery tone.

"Umm, we're fine. Thanks," answered Jaune, unnerved by the 180.

"I think I need another one," grumbled out Lelouch, his head planted on the table.

"Okay, I take it back. Not much better," rectified Suzaku. "You alright Lelouch?"

"You come back to me after you do 20 rounds at 3 separate pubs and tell me how you feel," groaned out his leader.

"Geez, no need to be so crabby brother. No one asked you, Gino AND professor to go nuts," chimed in Rolo.

"Speak for yourself, lightweight," jabbed Gino. "Sides, our honour was on the line."

"Oh really? What honour could you possibly be referring to?" wondered Weiss.

"The honour of the iron liver," the two teammates chanted in unison. They then took a swig from another set of mugs that were brought to them by a sympathetic Dr Oobleck, only to come to the dismayed realisation that they still felt crappy. Slightly.

"Welp," remarked a slightly disappointed Gino, "The coffee's already done as much as it could. You up for sparring later Lelouch?"

"I guess so," resigned the leader.

"I'm sorry but what were you doing last night?" asked Ruby innocently.

"Oh you sweet summer child," smiled Gino, "we went for a pub crawl. A fun time wouldn't you say Prof?"

"Yes! Very youthful indeed!"

"Wait. What's a pub crawl and how do you know my mom?!"

"... it's an expression Ruby," responded Blake.

"Oh. Sorry," deflated the girl.

"And to answer your question, a pub crawl is when a bunch of friends go on drinking spree to several pubs. As you can see we ended up shitfaced. Some more quickly than others."

"Hey I heard that!"

As the recent arrivals bickered and bantered with their newfound friends, a few tables over, a quartet with less than honourable intentions was eavesdropping.

"A pub crawl eh? Sounds like something daddy dearest used to do. Disgusting," spat Mercury. Though the prospect did sound fun.

"Merc! Focus! We need to know more about them without revealing ourselves!" hissed Emerald. With how they humiliated her and Cinder yesterday, she was more than eager to pursue their downfall.

"Don't be such a stick in the mud Emerald," soothed Cinder with her usual condescending cadence. "We are meant to be students after all." She didn't bother looking at them, only sparing a quick glance before going back to the article on her scroll. Something about one of the local gang lieutenants getting assaulted and found in an alley, his posse defeated as well. Eh, probably Torchwick's rivals vying for the top seat now that he was put away.

"Y-yes ma'am!"

A quiet snicker drew their attention to their fourth teammate, a short, black-haired girl with pigtails and green eyes. She silently ate her meal and had a mischievous yet slightly psychotic look to her face.

"You have something to say Ne- I mean Noire?" asked Mercury.

She pulled out her scroll and fingers flew across the virtual keyboard. She slid over her medium of speech, allowing Cinder to be her voice.

"I just think it's funny how you guys are fretting over this way too much. Why not just enjoy ourselves and keep a low profile?"

"I suppose we could," began Cinder as she sipped her tea, draped against the table. "However, if you were around yesterday, you would realise just how formidable they are." She threw a thumb over at their mighty quarries and they looked over...

...only to see Lelouch down a glass filled with a raw egg, dashed with hot sauce, pepper and some clear fluid from a flask which he produced from...somewhere. Much to the disgust of the other students

"Gross," deadpanned Emerald.

"Prairie Oyster. Not bad," appraised her silver partner.

'Formidable. Riggght,' remarked Noire doubtfully.

"Oh hush you," lightly admonished their leader. "There's more to them than meets the eye." She looked back at the oblivious students and zeroed in on the black-haired leader.

'Definitely more,' she mentally reaffirmed with a hungry lick of her lips.

"There it is again!"

"What?" whispered Emerald to her partner.

"That look! I saw that same expression yesterday when she was watching the news!"

"So? What's that got to do with anything?"

"That was the look she had when she saw him," clarified Mercury.

"Oookaay," replied Emerald, unsure of where this was headed.

"You don't suppose that Cinder..." he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "..has a crush do you?"

"What's this about a crush?"

The two jumped in their seats, their leader's sudden intrusion greatly startling them to Noire's silent amusement.

"I assure you I have no such sentiments for our prey. Especially one so childish," stated Cinder. "I merely find him... amusing to play against. A worthy opponent if you would."

"Righto boss lady," backed off Mercury. Yeah he wasn't having any of that explanation. The other two may not have seen it but there was definitely a blush there, no matter how tiny.

"Now I don't want to hear these conspiracies again. Otherwise, I'd have to make you know your place. Again. We wouldn't want that now would we?" Cinder asked threateningly.

"No ma'am!"

"Nope."

Noire just gestured zipping her mouth shut.

"Good. Now let's investigate this so-called sparring session they mentioned. And while we're at it go and research their homeland."

* * *

"Impressive."

That was all Glynda had to say about the performance she saw before her. But given the professor's stoic and strict nature, that was some high praise.

Currently, she was in Beacon's training room. Right now, Beacon was having one of its dedicated days of "mission rest", a policy that Ozpin implemented a few years back for the students' benefit. After taking and completing a mission, or in the case of yesterday a great defence, they'd be allowed up to three days' excuse from class. Or at the very least physical activity. Dependent on the mission provider.

Usually, pupils would spend this time to go out, catch up on work or just sleep the day away. So imagine her surprise when she was walking down the hall only to hear animalistic grunts and the iconic sound of flesh impacting flesh. While not something that fazed her, it certainly affected a curious team RWBY, sans the leader.

The cries and shouts of "Harder!", "I want you to do it!" and other dialogues of the like left the three oldest members steaming in their ears.

'There's no way they're doing that right?' Blake denied to herself. Her imagination was running wild! The mental image of sweaty bodies wrapped in embrace, moisture tricking down toned muscles as they writhed in passion, the heat being unbearable as one slowly slid themselves into the othe-

NO! BAD BLAKE! Down girl!

A sharp shout of "C'MON GIVE IT TO ME" and the chorus of pummeled flesh afterward snapped her out of her thoughts and pushed her patience to the limit.

That's it!

With finality she barged past Professor Goodwitch and into the arena, her team close behind her and the blond teacher coming just after.

And she saw a boy's legs wrapped around another's head.

...Okay that was too much. Imagination.. pushed...beyond...limits! Can't.. comprehend! Too hot! Too hot! ERROR ERROR ERRO-

Blake Belladonna promptly fainted, her brain overloaded and a gleeful look on her face as she slammed onto the tiled floor.

"Blake! Are you alright!?" asked Weiss, who did not look too better herself. Still much better than the unconscious, twitching faunus passed out on the floor. Was that blood coming out of her nose?

"Miss Rose, please get some ice water. Buckets are in the corner."

"Yes Miss Goodwitch!"

She then walked up to the boundary of the arena, where the team's blonde brawler stood with an appreciative (read: predatory) look on her face.

Glynda turned her focus to what her pupil saw and gave her judgment.

Which brings us to the present, where the ladies were watching one Rolo Lamperouge, who sat atop an opponent's shoulders, driving a hammer fist down onto his head and hooking his heels together behind said opponent's head.

A scene that left much to the imagination. Glynda could see why Blake passed out. Not that she could blame her student. But still.

'Ugh teenagers,' she internally scoffed.

And given who she saw on the sidelines, she had to hazard a guess that the one being assailed was Rolo's brother.

"GET OFF!"

With a heave, Rolo was thrown from his brother's shoulders and rolled along the floor. He got up, only to just barely duck to the side to avoid a heel to his temple. He was forced onto the defensive, ducking and slapping away punches and swipes, each one a closer miss than the last. Finally, desperation got the better of him and he threw a wild haymaker when the opportunity presented itself.

Only for that hopeful strike to be stopped by Lelouch, whose arm wrapped around his own, locking it in place. With his torso exposed, he could do nothing to guard against the claw that went for his throat. It seized his neck and for a moment, he felt weightless.

Then he was brought back down to earth. Well, slammed is more of the correct term. He blinked the stars from his eyes and tried to push off his brother but it was too late. Lelouch was atop him, one knee on his chest and his right hand poised above his throat, curled into a claw and ready to strike in a flash.

"Yield," he demanded icily.

With a sigh of resignation, Rolo slapped the floor twice, calling an end to the fight. Immediately, Lelouch's face warmed up and he stepped off his brother. Rubbing his chest, Rolo accepted a helping hand and pulled himself up.

"You're getting better," remarked Lelouch.

"Not good enough though," sighed Rolo dejectedly.

"All I'm good time dear brother. Go drink up." Lelouch pat his sibling on the shoulder and sent his to go refresh himself. He picked up a pair of wooden training weapons, a sword and a tonfa to be exact, from nearby before turning to the spectators.

"Professor. Ladies. How can I help you?" He then peered over Goodwitch's shoulder and frowned. "Is Blake alright?"

"Eh she'll be fine," dismissed Yang, too busy with what was in front of her.

She said it yesterday and she'll say it again.

_Mama likes._

Toned, strong arms. Face flushed with exertion. A grey tank top that was drenched with sweat and black gym shorts. And were those abs underneath the shirt?

_Mama __**definitely**__ likes._

Oh, all the forbidden things she'd let those arms do. Lik-

A blur of red trailing petals with a loud *whoosh* broke her out of her fantasy. 'Really? Really?!'

"I've got the water! Stand back! Clear!"

Blake was resuscitated with an ice-cold *splash* which left her leaping in the air with shock, a yowl leaving her lips.

"What's going on?!" she demanded. Dripping wet, she was more than annoyed about being woken up. Then she took stock of the situation and almost passed out a second time had Ruby not dumped a second bucket over her head.

"To answer your question, we walked in on LRGS training and your mind made you see things," answered Weiss. "Pervert," she muttered.

"Hey!"

"ORA!"

The loud thump of a pad, the tumble and squeak of a body sliding on the floor rang throughout the room. As if the universe had no idea how to read the situation, Suzaku was sent awkwardly and audibly sliding over on his back, coming to a halt on Lelouch's right with a padded training shield clutched in his hands.

"You alright?!"

"I'm fine Gino," answered the boy from Nihon.

"Hello Suzaku."

"Hey Lelouch."

Then he tilted his head up and noticed the others. "Oh! Good morning professor! Good morning team RWBY!" he greeted.

"Good morning Suzaku!" chirped Ruby.

"Nice to see you all chipper today. Sorry for earlier at breakfast. We woke up terribly."

"Oh it's fine! Yang explained it to me."

"You mean Yang-splained it. Amirite?!"

Her awaiting hand was met by another from Lelouch, who did so with an amused roll of the eyes.

"Yeah!" she cheered. Then her eyes travelled downward.

"Oooh," she muttered, entranced by the sight. "_Cleavage_..."

"Please don't," chuckled Lelouch nervously.

Her other hand crept forward and latched onto his upper arm, giving it an appraising squeeze before creeping up slowly.

She wanted MORE.

WHAP!

"Ow!"

"Miss Xiao Long! That is highly inappropriate!" reprimanded Glynda. "We! Do! Not! Fondle! Other! Students!" She punctuated each word with another smack on the head with her riding crop, leaving the blonde trainee cradling her head.

"Especially foreign students. And dignitaries at that," she huffed.

"I-It's quite alright professor," placated Lelouch. "Not the worst I've experienced. Far too common back home I'm afraid. Besides I'm flattered."

"I see," she replied. "Nonetheless it's my duty to keep you all in line and prevent such incidents."

'Teenagers,' she mentally rolled her eyes.

"I suppose so," he conceded.

"So what are you guys doing here?" asked a now standing Suzaku. Clad in a black shirt and sweatpants, he was nowhere near as sweaty as his partner.

"I heard noise coming from here and decided to investigate."

"We overheard about your sparring, Yang insisted to go and see and we had nothing better to do."

"Other than homework!" piped in Weiss.

"Shut up Weiss."

"Why didn't you go out to town?" asked Gino who approached them from the other end of the arena. He was dressed in a fitting green t-shirt and black shorts.

"We already did that yesterday afternoon. Not that much to do anyway with all the repairs," answered Yang, who now _silently appreciated_ what she saw.

'Thank you Oum!' she mentally proclaimed.

"Well I suppose we shouldn't disappoint," conceded Lelouch. "What do you think Gino? You up for it?"

"Yeah sure, why not?" shrugged the blond.

"Cool. Melee or with weapons?"

"Melee. I need the practice."

"Fine then," he agreed, tossing his weapons to the side. "A pity really."

"There's always next time buddy."

"That's true," Lelouch conceded. "Professor, since you're here could you ref the match for us?"

"Sure. It's a closer view anyway," she allowed.

"Now if the others would kindly step away from the ring, we can begin," briefed Glynda.

"Way ahead of you Miss Goodwitch!" called Ruby from the stands. True to her word, all of team RWBY was already seated, with Suzaku making his way up the stairs after clearing the training equipment and drying himself.

"What about Rolo?" asked Ruby.

"He's helping clean up." Suzaku nodded over to the far end of the room, where true enough, a now refreshed and fresh-out-of-the-shower Rolo was picking up training equipment.

"Hey Rolo!" Ruby waved vigorously as she hollered at her Britannian friend.

"Hi Ruby!" he called back.

"Bring some snacks will you?! G and Lu are about to fight!" asked Suzaku.

"Will do!"

"I've got a question," inserted Weiss. "Why are you training in barehand combat? I saw your weapons. None of you really need to."

"Fitness. Proficiency. Self-defence. In case we don't have our weapons with us," briefly reasoned Suzaku.

"I suppose those are good reasons," she conceded.

"Why do you ask? You feel like joining us next time?" asked Rolo out of nowhere.

"GAH! Where did you come from?!"

"...from the arena. Why?"

"You were on the other side seconds ago!"

"So?"

"How did you get here?"

"I'm fast. And I climbed," shrugged Rolo. In his arms were an assortment of snacks.

"No way. Did any of you see that?" asked Weiss to the rest of her team. Unfortunately, they were all so drawn into the conversation that the only response she got was a solid "no".

"Like I said, I'm fast."

Weiss sighed, annoyed and pinching the bridge of her nose, muttering something about "idiots".

"Whatever. Let's just enjoy the match," drawled Yang, lounging back and stretching out.

"Righto," grunted our Rolo as he plopped himself next to Ruby.

"Cookie?"

"YES!"

Ruby snatched the snack from him and took a big bite out of it. Then her silver eyes bulged and she started coughing.

"Blegh! What kind of cookie is this?!" she squawked. "It's all mushy!"

"Sorry, sorry. Protein cookie. That's for me," apologised Rolo as he took it from her hands and replaced it with a harder, _normal chocolate chip cookie_, which Ruby bit into with joy.

"Wait a minute, shouldn't you guys be like resting?" asked Blake. "I clearly remember you guys looking way worse yesterday."

"Our aura helped out a bit. That and we were cleared for physical activity and training. No missions yet, unfortunately. No real combat either. And some of us are still on meds," replied Suzaku, gesturing to the pink, youthful skin that lay exposed on his arms in sporadic patches.

Meanwhile, Gino and Lelouch had prepared themselves, with Goodwitch entering their details into the ring's gauge system, now brightly displayed on the huge screen for all to see.

"And we're good to go," assures Glynda as she with a few final keystrokes. Putting away her scroll, she looked up, adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat.

"Now gentlemen, this sparring match will be an unarmed, unarmoured affair. So no weapons and no semblances. We will follow standard sparring rules. Victory is dictated by knockout, aura level depletion, voluntary surrender or at my own discretion. My word is final. Any questions?"

"No ma'am/No Professor," the combatants replied.

"Good," she nodded. "If nothing else, fighters take your positions!"

"Hey Gino," interjected Lelouch, "Let's show them a good one." He held out his bandaged fist, knuckles toward his teammate.

Looking back, the Weinberg caught on and gave a small smile. "Alright, to a good one it is." With that, he stretched out his own fist, now covered in gloves, and the two bumped in a silent agreement. After that, they retreated to their positions, stripping off their shirts and kicking off their shoes in the process.

That got a wolf whistle from Yang, rolled eyes from Goodwitch, Suzaku and Rolo and a weird mix of admiration, shock and embarrassment from the other members of RWBY.

"Fighters, on guard!"

They settled into their stances. Gino took up an orthodox stance, his right fist guarding his cheek and the left one outstretched. He relaxed his shoulders, slowed his breathing and waited for the "bell".

Lelouch's was a bit more exotic. He was crouched low and wide, his right leg nearly fully extended. As his arms settled in their position, his fists unclenched and curled into claws, the right hand stretched to about half his arm's length and the left kept closer to his face. His eyes narrowed, he took a deep breath and waited.

_Focus_.

"Ready!" She raised her riding crop into the air. Breathing slowed further, muscles coiled and tightened and the two seemed to glare daggers at each other. The tension was thick and the arena was silent with anticipation, the only sound being the steady heartbeats of those present. Oddly enough, it sounded like a drum.

_BongBongBongBongBongBong_.

Wait a minute.

"Stop doing that!"

Weiss snatched a small drum that Rolo got from Oum-knows-where and glared at him. To the youngest member's credit, he had the decency to look embarrassed, if him rubbing the back of his head and the folded feline ears were anything.

"Sorry," he chuckled good-naturedly. With an amused dismissal, the rest turned back to the bout about to happen.

A riding crop whipped through the air with a sharp *swish*. "Begin!"

If the spectators were expecting some bombastic, blood rushing first attack, then they were sorely disappointed. The distance was too great for any purely physical rush to be feasible. So the two fighters instead slowly took slow, tentative steps to one another.

"Come onnnn. Faster!" whined Ruby.

"Shhh! Quiet you dolt!" hissed Weiss. "Try learning instead of complaining."

"Miss Schnee does have a good point, young Rose."

"Eep!" Ruby squeaked. That was the second time they were snuck up on already! "Headmaster?!"

"Pardon the intrusion students," apologised the principal, "but I heard from Miss Goodwitch of a match that may prove to be very entertaining. With the Vytal Festival so far away I find myself brimming with excitement."

"Really?" asked Blake cynically.

"Yes, Miss Belladonna. Oh, may I?" He gestured to a seat next to Yang.

"Of course Prof! Sit!"

"Thank you kindly Yang," accepted the headmaster. He took a seat with a satisfied hum and rested his hands on his cane, his gaze now fixed on the brewing fight below.

"So, who do you think is going to win?" he asked out of nowhere.

"I say Lelouch," staked Yang almost immediately.

"Bull! Gino looks way stronger," contested Weiss. Ruby hummed along in agreement and they shared a high five. To be fair, he was taller than his leader by at least an inch and was stockier and more muscular.

"Why? I never took you for a betting man, headmaster," pointed out Blake.

"I'm not usually. But I occasionally take exception to bouts like these," he responded. "Besides every choice we make is a gamble in some form no?"

"...I guess?" replied Ruby.

Ozpin chuckled. "Never mind that. How about I lay a proposition that you can bet on if you choose to? Let's start with..."

"...Who do you think will land the first hit?"

"10 Lien on Lelouch!" proclaimed Yang.

"20 on Gino!" opposed Weiss and Ruby.

"I'll sit this out," spoke Blake with her regular monotone.

"We shall see."

By now, the fighters had closed into about a meter from each other. Then Lelouch's back leg tensed up and Gino braced himself. The ravenette's leg sprung forward and went in for a chop, looking to smash the blonde's calf. Gino took a step back to avoid the kick and skirted forward with a quick jab, which Lelouch dodged with a tilt of his head.

He slapped aside Gino's fist and bound his wrist. Pulling him forward, he closed the distance with an elbow aimed at the blond's throat. With as much manoeuvrability he could muster, Gino slipped under the strike and burst upwards while pulling his extended arm back, bringing a knee surging into his leader's gut, barely blocked with a free hand. In a surprise move, Gino felt his planted foot get kicked out from under him. As he landed on his back, he spied an incoming foot. He rolled away from the stomp and tried to sweep Lelouch off his feet with a kick.

His leader backed away and resettled into his guard, giving Gino time to get back up.

With a nod, Lelouch lunged forward, this time trying for a kick to the ribs, which Gino moved to block. Or so he thought.

Halfway through its travel, Lelouch slammed his foot down and pivoted on it. He took a gamble and it paid off. Too fixated on stopping the kick was he that Gino could not raise his guard in time for the real strike. And for his mistake, he took a crushing backhand to the jaw.

"WOOHOO!" whooped Yang. She jumped up in joy and celebrated in front of her team. "10 lien! Mine!"

With a grumble, the two formed over their losses. "Next bet!" demanded Yang.

"Alright," chuckled Ozpin. "Since Yang's bet won, we'll build on that. How would you describe Lelouch's fighting style for the next minute?"

"10 to say he's fluid!"

"No way! He's a grappler!"

"Strong strikes."

"Ummm... a mix I guess?"

"Very well then. Let's see," accepted Ozpin.

"First blood," gloated Lelouch. Gino rubbed his jaw to soothe an ache and scowled at his leader. "Ready to go again?"

"Always am," answered Gino, curling up and eager to continue.

"LET'S GO!" With a determined look and a confident call, Lelouch surged forward again, sending a telegraphed push kick to Gino's chest. He blocked it easily, of course, but took a step back from the impact.

"Nice try! But too easy!" Gino took hold of Lelouch's ankle and with a heave, chucked Lelouch away and into the floor. Landing in an agile roll, Lelouch sprang away from an axe kick aimed at his face and buried his shoulder into Gino's gut. As he fought to ground the larger blond, Gino hammered fists and elbows into the exposed back and spread his legs wider. He learned his lesson and even with Lelouch trying to pick up his thigh, Gino put more weight onto the limb as he continued his assault. Finally, the grip around his waist loosened and Gino dug his palms into his leader's inner elbows, pushed down then pulled up. With an off-balance Lelouch, he had a field day as he clapped his opponent's ears and threw an uppercut. Square into the plexus.

His bent over, deafened and breathless opponent had little to do against the knee right after, only able to protect himself from a bloody nose with his hands, padding one atop the other. The force pushed his head up and his chin met a rising elbow, pushing it further. A cross straight into his chest pushed Lelouch back and a side kick into his midsection threw him back, a pained grunt escaping his lips.

"OOOH!" winced team RWBY in unison. Ozpin just chuckled and continued to watch the fight with a keen eye.

"Oh! Are we intruding on something professor?" asked an unfamiliar voice. A silver-haired boy dressed in the Haven uniform and who Ozpin assumed was his teammate behind him. A girl with black hair and brilliant orange eyes.

"No young man, nothing at all," replied the professor with well-hidden caution. Scratch that. These were familiar faces. These were the people Qrow warned him about. The ones that left Amber as she was. He had half the mind to slay them now but the cumulative experience of time nigh eternal and some naive notion of compassion stayed his hand. "Please, don't prostrate yourselves on my account. Sit," he welcomed, gesturing to the empty seats around them.

"Thank you kindly, professor," purred the girl. Ozpin, while acknowledging her, was close to snapping. He could feel the fractured power of Fall within her. Power she gained unrightfully, stolen. He calmed himself and willed his nerves to let him stay cordial. "What exactly are we watching?" she asked.

"A sparring match between two students."

"Unarmed? How unorthodox," she noted, eyeing each fighter analytically.

"For us perhaps, but maybe for Britannia, there is a meaning to this training. Right Rolo?"

The mentioned pupil perked up when he heard his name and turned to face the professor. "Summarily, yes headmaster."

"I see," nodded the girl. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Cinder Fall and this is Mercury Black," she introduced. The silver haired boy nodded in greeting.

"Nice to meet you two!" jovially greeted Ruby, cookie crumbs flying out of her mouth. "I saw your fight with Pyrrha, Mercury. Loved to see it! It was awesome!"

"I know right?!" joined in Yang, eyes still on the fight. "I've never seen Pyrrha fight that hard before!"

"Why thank you," he accepted. Then he turned to the fight and his eyes widened. Down below, Lelouch had just grasped Gino's elbow and rained claws and palm strikes on his chest before pushing him back with a kick to the knee and a palm heel to the temple.

"No way, Tiger fist?!" he baulked.

"Wuh?"

"Wait, no. Not exactly," Mercury muttered to himself. Turning to the others, he realised that they stared at him owlishly with nary an idea of what he just said.

"It's an old Mistrali fighting style," he summarised. The collection of "ohhhh"s displayed the others' comprehension of the subject. "Never mind then."

"Speaking of which, I do believe Miss Rose won the bet," spoke up Ozpin. "Lelouch has shown no distinct preferences in the past minute, is that right boys?"

"You are correct Headmaster," affirmed Suzaku.

"Yay! 10 lien! Gimme!" demanded Ruby with an outstretched hand. While the other gamblers reluctantly paid up, Cinder scoffed at the immaturity and the weakness she saw. 'Pathetic.'

The two fighters continued to rain blows on each other, neither intending to relent any time soon. While Gino focused on crushing blows, Lelouch did his best to grapple and counter when he could. A particularly nasty shin to his right thigh left it sore and unable to bear much weight at the present, leaving him with an odd limp in his stance.

Looking to capitalise, Gino charged in, aiming to finish the fight in the next few moments. He was strong, visibly stronger than his leader. But the man had a fuck-off-huge amount of endurance and stamina. An edge he did not have.

'It's time,' he said to himself. He flew in with a knee which was just barely dodged. Then he willed his admittedly tired arms to keep going, not giving Lelouch the chance to make a better defence, much less counter. He couldn't afford to.

_Jab. Jab. Cross. Elbow. Hook. Uppercut. Knee. Backfist. Push kick. Hawkeye. Slip. Slip. Sucker punch. Elbow. Superman. Palm strike. Jab. Cross. Jab. Cross. Hook. Left. __Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-left-right-left-right-left-right-left-right!_

As the beat down continued, the spectators watched with a mix of trepidation and excitement. "Um, shouldn't Goodwitch call it off?" asked Blake. Taking that many hits with only a few blocks could not be healthy.

"I trust the vice headmistress's judgement enough," replied Ozpin. His eyes narrowed. "Besides, I think the elder Lamperouge is not out yet."

"What do you mean Professor?" asked Weiss.

"Call it intuition. You'll see soon."

'Indeed we will, Ozpin,' Cinder silently added.

Gino was pummelling Lelouch like a man possessed. And if one could hear his thoughts, they'd think he was. For in a mind clouded with determination and focus, as he whaled on his teammate, only one thing could be heard. _Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get-_

His tunnel vision proved to be his downfall. A cross went wide and he overextended himself. His mind snapped out of its mantra as all motion came to a halt. Looking up, he saw Lelouch standing to the side of his arm, holding his wrist in a vice-like grip.

_He got caught._

"Gotcha," sneered Lelouch. As he felt his opponent's claw snake up to his elbow and the jerky pull on his arm, Gino only had three words as he lurched forward.

_'Well. Fuck me.'_

His forward leg was kicked back from under him, making him stumble and bend over. Just right for a nonchalant knee to rocket into his sternum, all the while his arm was still being locked in place, his shoulder joint shrieking from all the stress and contortions. A palm heel slammed into his chin and a knife-hand struck his throat.

As Gino coughed and gasped for air, Lelouch released his arm and threw an elbow into the blond's chest, driving him back. If Gino hoped for a short breather, he was sorely disappointed and blanched when Lelouch leaned down to the right and levered his left leg up, the limb curling at the knee with its heel ramming into the blond's jaw. A jumping back kick finished off Lelouch's counter-attack and it left Gino stumbling back and into his ass.

Mercury pursed his lips in approval. "Not bad," he nodded.

"Not bad?! NOT BAD?! That's was awesome!" cheered Yang. "C'mon Lulu! I want my money!" The two Britannians in the stands chuckled at the nickname while Lelouch, down in the ring, sighed in resignation. Not again.

"I bet the pot!" proudly proclaimed Yang. "Lelouch wins by depletion!"

"Oh damn."

"Language, Miss Rose."

As he struggled to get up, Gino felt his body defy him in fatigue. The parts that were hit ached and felt tender. He winced as he stood up and put up his guard again. Across the arena, Lelouch had once more resettled into his crouched stance. His controlled expression turned into a smug smirk and his right hand turned, the wrist rotating until the palm faced him. The smirk only seemed to grow as his fingers began to curl inwards.

_Oh hell no._

Suzuki left out a good laugh at Lelouch's antics. Gino was very obviously ticked off with the "come-hither" he just got. "Classic Lelouch," he sighed as he collected himself.

Gino's face curled into a snarl and he charged forward, ignoring pained, protesting muscles. But with that his form became sloppy and previously formidable, controlled attacks turned wild, going wide and more often than not being parried or dodged. It certainly didn't help that Lelouch still had the smug, shit-eating grin on his face.

"My, my, Gino. You're losing your touch," the black-haired boy taunted.

"Fuck off!"

"LANGUAGE!"

He loosed a rampant haymaker, aiming to not so much punch as clothesline him. A bandaged hand shot out and struck the crook of his elbow, pain surging up his arm from the struck tendons. A quick upward wrench fully exposed his torso to a barrage of clawed palms, swipes and punches, Gino wincing in pain at the impact of fingers jabbing into his skin. A rising claw intercepted an exhausted hook while another smashed into his ribs. Pushing Lelouch off, Gino's hackles rose at how little he managed to do to his leader. With an enraged cry, he sent another salvo of strikes to Lelouch and to his elation, he managed to score a few!

Maybe he could do this.

"Come on Gino!" cheered Weiss all of a sudden. Realising what she just did, she sank back into her seat and tried to shrink as much as possible. Her image was ruined!

"Now, now Miss Schnee," jokingly cautioned Ozpin. "I wouldn't get too excited."

Meanwhile, Gino reared himself for the final blow, putting his weight into it. A handlebar. A crushing blow from the top and onto his teammate's shoulder should be enough. But to his dismay, just as his arm began to descend, it was halted by a claw on his tricep.

Oh shit.

Another surged up and seized his wrist, pulling down and bending Gino's elbow. And just as Gino felt his feet get kicked away the ground for yet another time, he thought he heard his leader mutter something.

"Checkmate."

'...Well. I'm screwed.'

The audience watched in awe as the Britannia team leader almost seamlessly lifted his larger blond teammate of his feet, over his shoulder and slammed him into the floor.

Did the tiles just crack?

By this point, Gino lay flat in his back, dazed and nearly out of the fight. Lelouch decided to change that 'nearly' to a strong 'definitely'. And so he did.

Some may call it excessive. Others overkill. But an axe kick to the gut was damn effective.

With a final grunt, Gino lost the energy to get back up. As he lay there, he heard Miss Goodwitch speak up.

"By aura depletion, Lelouch Lamperouge wins!"

A polite applause (and raucous celebration from Yang) brought a small smile to his face. He looked back and gave a small frown at Gino's condition. 'Damn. Went overboard again.'

Ignoring Goodwitch's worried fluttering ("how did they crack the tiles?!") about the nearly unconscious blond, he fetched a bundle of towels from some duffle bags off to the side along with another bucket of water. Limping over to Gino, he dumped the water onto his teammate and woke him, a gasp on his lips.

"I was having a good dream you know," grumbled Gino.

"Dream later. We need to get patched up," retorted Lelouch, extending a hand. He pulled Gino up and helped steady him when he stumbled.

"You look like Nightmare trailings," quipped Gino. Lelouch, in contrast to the virtually flawless skin he usually had, was be-speckled with bruises and scrapes. He took a moment and looked up and down at Gino, who was in the exact same condition.

"Says you. Besides, at least I'm sticking to my colour," chuckled Lelouch.

"Ha! You're right there," roared Gino. Then his laughter cut short as he winced, grabbing his ribs. "Owowowowowow."

"Let's get you two washed up and to the nurse's office shall we?" asked Goodwitch. Even if they didn't comply, she could just drag them there herself.

Thankfully that would not be the case. "Right then, let's go. Aura should handle the worse of this." Lelouch took a step forward, Gino trailing behind and Glynda at the rear.

Then he fell forward.

"MY LEG! CRAMPING! SCHEIßE!"

This would take a while.

* * *

In a nondescript room in Beacon's dormitories, Team CMNE were gathered around a spiffy, new office scroll, expanded to the size of a small television. On it was a recording of Gino and Lelouch's sparring match that was occasionally paused, rewound and examined, with each "student" holding a scroll of their own.

"Pause."

With a keystroke, Cinder paused the video and let Mercury take a closer look.

"Whoo! That's some good form," commented the assassin. At the moment, they were looking at a frame that showed Lelouch driving a claw into Gino's ribs.

"I still don't see the point of seeing this Cinder," protested Emerald. They should still be researching, trying to find as many points to strike as possible. She was almost there but noooo, Mercury had to call everyone together just so he could fanboy in front of all of them.

And she was just getting to the Grimm texts too!

"It may seem pointless Emerald. But every edge over them is an advantage," reminded Cinder.

"Ooooh! Big hit!" cheered Mercury in the background.

"Even if the research is more entertainment than work to some of us," she finished. Emerald just sighed, shook her head in resignation and looked back at her two other teammates.

Research. Right. A bucket of popcorn just screamed professionalism. And Neo was sat right there, leaning her little frame onto Mercury, the two glued to the big screen.

"Whatever. How're the translations from Watts coming along?" asked Emerald, eager to actually do _something_. Though the small scowl on Cinder's face did make her regret saying that.

"He sent them over. Though he was an ass while doing so." The call she had him just made her want to _wring his neck_. "Oh, what's this? The mighty Cinder Fall can't understand the old Mantlian dialect? Is Mordian that difficult? A child could do this," she mockingly imitated. Emerald just watched with confused stupor. Wow. How badly did this Watts guy have to be to make the cool-headed Cinder Fall act this way?!

Honestly, she didn't really want to know.

"I'm sorry. I got off track there for a moment." Cinder collected herself from her slightly frazzled state and continued. "The translations just about confirmed that the boys, or at least their leader, knew that they were being spied on. So we need to exercise caution. We can't afford to be compromised."

"Should I update their profiles then?"

"By all means."

Emerald nodded and opened the file on her scroll. Scrolling (pun intended, Yang approved) through all the dossiers of students they made throughout their stay, she made it to the bottom of the list, where four relatively empty profiles presented themselves to her.

All they had filled in was school, name, age and an adequate picture. Cinder had tried to dig into the CCT system and see if it had anything. But alas, no.

Just as she was about to start, a slender arm crept up her shoulder from behind. Emerald spun around, startled, and came face to face with Noire. The girl's fingers plucked the scroll and tapped onto one of the profiles and Emerald watched in curiosity as the name **"ROLO LAMPEROUGE"** came up on the screen.

"What is it Neo?" asked Cinder. Was there new intel?

The short girl passed back the scroll when she finished typing. Looking for any changes, Emerald and Cinder saw some script under 'notable characteristics'.

"...Has cute ears?" read Emerald incredulously. She looked at the incognito criminal, who just shrugged. "Cute," she repeated, in a _rare_ use of her voice.

"You know you could've just said that or added that into the profile on your own scroll right?" stated Emerald, crossing her arms in irritation.

"Too lazy. Fun to see you annoyed anyway," signed Neo indifferently.

"While it's fun to watch you bicker, I should remind you that I will not allow our plan to fail from petty infighting." Cinder conjured a fireball that burned bright and twisted about in her palm. "Is that understood?" she warned.

"Yes, Cinder."

"Yeah yeah," signed Neo with a roll of her eyes.

"Good. Mercury," she called, turning to Emerald's partner. "I need you to do something."

"Yeah what's up?"

"As much as possible, tail the Britannians for the next few days when you can. If you think you'll be compromised, disengage immediately. Any piece of knowledge, even the most trivial, is still useful but I don't want you captured. Understood?"

"Aye aye," he replied. He paused the video, stood up and stretched. "Excuse me, ladies. I'm gonna take a whizz."

"I'll head off too," signed Neo. "Going to explore the school."

"Why?" asked Cinder.

"Curious," shrugged Neo. "You need me for anything?" she signed.

"No, we'll be fine. I'll call if anything," waved Cinder. "Have fun."

With a nod, Neo spun around and skipped out the door and down the hall, intent on sating her curiosity. There was nothing stopping her and there was no way she could be interrupted or caught off guard.

Nope.

Nadda.

Definitely no way whatsoever.

Zilch.

* * *

Turns out the universe has an ironic and twisted sense of humour, especially those who overstepped themselves.

And Neo, under the guise of Noire Spumoni, was no exception.

So imagine her surprise as she rounded a corner towards the rear of the school, overlooking the Emerald forest, only to slam into a brown and black mass mid skip and fall on her ass.

'Owieee,' she mentally whined, rubbing her rear. What did she hit?

"Oh man, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" asked a concerned voice. "Here, let me help you up!"

She accepted the fingerless, leather-gloved hand with little hesitation and let herself be pulled up. Once standing, she dusted herself off and checked to see that her guise was still in place. Then she looked up and froze up.

Man. The universe _really_ loves its irony.

For standing in front of her, in what was probably his field outfit, was Rolo Lamperouge, a look of concern directed at her.

The one with the cute ears. And they were curled forward in apology. "I'm so sorry. I should have seen where I was going!"

Did she say cute? She meant _adorable_.

He wore a very...interesting getup. Slate grey cargo pants and an umber brown shirt, covered by an unzipped navy blue hoodie, initially thought black, with silver stripes on its sleeves that twisted, turned and wove around one another. His back was mottled with dark silver splotches and his trousers were held by a black belt with what looked to be pouches on both of his hips. Dark brown, leather straps looked to criss-cross over his body, with some strapping his thighs, others over his arms and even three across his chest, one with a shiny little iron buckle on his shirt and the other two above his jacket, threaded through built-in loops and held together with a single, more conventional plastic buckle, forming an "X" on his chest. On his feet, he wore a pair of unassuming, dark brown trainers with white soles.

After his clothes, she took notice of his arms. On his shoulders were a pair of plated, silvery-grey pauldrons, with a rail(?) and a thin cable that protruded from them and ran down the length of his triceps, stopping at his elbow, which had metal bands before and after it with little notched landings that seemed to fit the rail. On the outside of his elbows, fixed onto the bands, were sheaves about half the size of his palm, with one laying just before the elbow while the other was found just after, the two connected by a segmented guide rail with a flexible middle that ran diagonally from the bottom of the first wheel to the top of the second.

His forearms were covered by a pair of bracers, above which were a trio of yet more leather straps, these with little, outward-facing metallic strips on them. The bracers had more lustre than his pauldrons and were one solid piece of a shiny, obsidian black metal, attached to his forearms by a series of straps with padding on its interior. The underside of the bracers held yet another guiding track, the end just barely poking out of the armour plating. Though she couldn't see the underside, there was a sneaking feeling that there was more to his equipment than what she saw. At most, she spotted a small black cable running on the inside of his arm and the hexagonal end of the rail jutting out from the bottom of his forearm.

Attached to his thigh straps were yet another pair of pouches, though larger than those on his hip. Just above those were a pair of belts, with little loops that carried small metal baubles. And on his hands, on his middle, ring and pinkie fingers were thin silver rings, attached to thin silver wires and that ran up the back of his hand and disappearing under the bracers.

Finishing his outfit was a simple black beanie, with his feline ears poking out on top, a black and grey camouflage neck gaiter and a flash of his emblem affixed above his left eye. Speaking of which.

Displayed in a dull white on his left breast, pauldrons, shirt and thigh pouches was an hourglass, wrapped and constrained by a bramble of thorns. What was interesting though was that the so-called "thorns" were crescent-shaped rather than just conventionally tapering to a point.

Almost as if they were claws.

Such a menacing appearance did not do its owner any justice, who was still rambling apologies to her.

She waved off his apologies and pat down her rear. And paled when she heard the crunch of metal.

Oh no. Ohnonononononono.

She pulled out what was supposed to be her scroll and dejectedly stared at a twisted hunk of metal.

'Crapbaskets. Why did I have to back pocket it?' she groaned. 'You know what. It's fine. I'll just have to get a new one,

Unbeknownst to her, she started "talking" to herself at some point. And Rolo, who was still fixated on helping her as an apology, lit up with understanding, spotting a chance.

"Um, excuse me." He tapped her shoulder. Turning to the boy, Noire looked at him expectantly, a miffed glare on her face.

"Look, I'm sorry that I made you break your scroll? How about I get you a new one?"

Her expression lightened, much to his delight. Then he felt confused when she started dragging one finger across an open palm. Seeing said confusion, Noire made more frantic gestures until he caught on.

"Oh! Sure just a sec," he replied, taking out his scroll. Passing it to her, he waited patiently for her response, which she quickly tapped out before passing it back to him.

"Only if you get me ice cream too?" he read aloud. With a sigh of relief, he chuckled. 'At least it's reasonable.'

"Are you free this Saturday?" he signed. "We could go then."

That caught Noire by surprise. "Wait, you can understand me?!" she typed excitedly.

"More or less," he verbally replied.

"Wow okay. I'm sorry this is a lot to process."

"Eh take your time," placated Rolo.

"Sooooo, this Saturday then?" confirmed Noire.

"Yeah sure. Meet me at the Beacon docks around 1130?"

"That works for me," nodded Noire.

"Alright!" clapped Rolo. "See you then. Oh, uhh, can I have my scroll back? Hope you don't mind holding on till then."

"I'll be fine. See you then!" Noire typed. She passed back the device and skipped off, humming a silent tune, happy to have made a new "friend". As she passed him, she turned her head toward the boy.

"Bye~!" And she was off.

Rolo looked on at the retreating silhouette, scroll still in his hand. 'Another situation defused Rolo! Good job!' he congratulated himself.

As he watched her make her merry way, his gaze softened. _'Cute..'_ he mused.

Then all thought came to a grinding halt of realisation. His serene expression shattered, his eyes bugged out wide and his jaw dropped in shock.

"Wait, she **talks**?!"

* * *

After a good workout and a satisfying meal, Lelouch would argue that few things would compare to just relaxing in bed, enjoying the blessings of the unburdened. Even if only for a little while.

So that was where Suzaku found him in the early afternoon. In their room. On his bed. In what was basically his sleepwear. With a book, headphones and a bag of chips.

Never mind the fact that he looked like an oil spill.

"Lelouch?"

No answer.

"Hellooo? Lelouch?" he asked with a rising tone.

Still nothing.

Suzaku let out a sigh of annoyance and reared back.

"Lelouch!"

His fist sailed towards the tender bruised flesh of his leader. Only to be blocked by the book's hardcover.

"Yes Suzaku what is it?" drawled Lelouch with a big yawn. A band reached down and tapped his purple scroll, pausing whatever he was listening to and taking off his headphones.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, because his partner could be so damned infuriating at times, Suzaku continued. "Our bikes arrived."

"Oh goody, we can take them for a ride in the evening against the Valian sunset. Maybe excessively braid our hair like Gino and go prancing in the fields," Lelouch sarcastically deadpanned.

"Hey I heard that!" called Gino from across the room.

"Seriously man, you wouldn't be going through the effort just for the multibikes. What is it?" he asked.

"Nago is due to be shipped off tonight. Also, a reminder that so is our... _debut_."

"Right. Well then," grunted Lelouch as he got off the bed. "I suppose I've rested enough. I'll settle the bikes' paperwork and get Jeremiah to assemble the others. You let the other two know about tonight. By the way, how goes the research?"

"Oh, you know. Same old same old," answered his partner disinterested. "Boring. Slow. Pain in the ass. By the way..."

His fist struck true and sunk deep into the leader's purple spotted skin.

"Ah! What the fuck?!" he hissed, rubbing his sore arm.

"That's for being an ass just now."

"Yeah I deserve that," groaned Lelouch.

"Get on with it."

* * *

A fire raged in the heart of Vale's industrial district, its baleful, orange glow casting deep shadows amongst ruined and damaged buildings as the flames greedily devoured the previously unscathed line of warehouses. The devilish tongues rose high into the air, becoming a Beacon of worry for miles around, the heat blasting its surroundings ruthlessly.

One Verne Braithwaite couldn't care less as he stared, stunned at the sight of his work going up in literal flames. Slack-jawed in shock, he was unable to comprehend how his life came crashing down in just over 15 minutes. At this point, he felt numb, uncaring of the blistering heat that blasted him in the face, of the hot air that whipped his hair and dried his eyes. Of the defiant screams and cries of pain that rang out in the night. All around him, figures in black were training guns on men, _his men_, who were prone on the baking pavement, their ankles and wrists tightly bound by zipties. Some shouted in defiance, others quietly accepted their fates with stifled sobs and prayers to the powers that be. One foolishly brave soul even tried to get the jump on one of their attackers. Maybe even steal their guns.

He got a bullet between the eyes for his efforts and Verne saw two of the mercenaries (too well trained to be street thugs) come over and toss his corpse into the flames, joining a few others.

Verne clearly remembered everything that happened up till the present. He was taking a walk around the warehouse, inspecting the new shipment of Snow he received from Don Monty. They were to be hidden in bags of fertiliser and delivered to the family's covers, florists spread all over the Kingdom, with even a few setting up shop in Mistral and Vacuo last he heard. Then, they would be used to lure in dumb Faunus who would be captured, "hired" and shipped off to work the mines. Of course, a small commission found its way into his pockets for every sale they made. He was having a little chat with Bertie, his bodyguard, when the warehouse was plunged into pitch black, illuminated only by the light of the shattered moon.

He heard them coming before he saw them. A truck barreled through the shutters with a loud crunch of metal and shocked exclamations were silenced by the staccato of automatic fire as black clad assailants flooded into the warehouse and cut down his men, illuminated only by a pair of green lights. He remembered being pushed aside before seeing Bertie get shredded apart by a salvo, the blinding flash and deafening ring of a flashbang going off and the dull yet sharp impact of a rifle butt smashing the back of his head. After that, he could see nothing, a burlap sack thrown over his head as he got frogwalked out of the building with a warm barrel between his shoulders. He heard some of his goons return fire in defence but by the looks of things, they had no hope.

When he was allowed to see again, he was left kneeling to watch in awe as his warehouses burst into flames with a magnificent chain of explosions. Unbeknownst to him, crates full of his product were being loaded up into a line of trucks behind him. Not that he would care about that at the moment. He was too busy crapping his pants (figuratively).

'The Don's gonna kill me!'

The *clack* of leather shoes on concrete brought him back to the present. That and the cold water splashed on his kneeling figure. As he sputtered in surprise, he heard a voice.

"...we'll see to the transport and storage of the Snow. Now if you would excuse me."

A pair of shiny leather shoes entered his field of vision and a shadow towered over him. "Good evening, I am Zero. What's your name?"

In his fear-and-shock-addled mind, Verne just barely managed to mutter out an answer, one muted by the furious roar of flames. "Come on man! Speak up!" playfully urged the newcomer. Before he could though, Verne was interrupted. "You know what? It'll be easier standing. On your feet."

Arms wrapped around his and yanked him up, his attention drawn to the figure that now stood between him and the flames. "So who are you again?" this "Zero" asked.

"V-verne. Verne Brai-."

"Braithwaite right? Yeah I knew that already," the man interrupted dismissively. His long black trench-coat whipped in the rising winds like a cape, thrown about by the blasts of air from the inferno. From where he stood, Zero was shrouded in shadow, his silhouette a menacing, horned splotch against the bright orange behind him. As he paced around Verne, Zero spoke again. "You know, you're handling this well. Way better than Mr Macquar did last night."

Wait a minute. Mac?

"That was you?! Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

Zero stopped and turned to look at him. "Of course it was me. Who else could have?" he snorted. "Also yes I know exactly what I'm doing."

"When the boss finds out about this, you'll wish you were dead!" roared Verne. Any trace of numbed shock had given way and transformed into focused anger.

"Ha!" chortled Zero. "As if. Now here's what's gonna happen Verney. Can I call you Verney? I'll call you Verney." At this point, Zero stood opposite where he started, the light of the flames reflecting off his spiked helm and the wind now throwing his open coat back to reveal a dark purple suit., his figure now bathed in the amber glow.

As he stalked forward, Zero continued. "You're gonna agree to pass on a message to your boss. Then you're gonna feel immense pain and then you're gonna get arrested. Not necessarily in that order. How's that sound?"

"Now wait just a-"

"Great! Glad we settled. Gentlemen, if you would kindly."

Verne futilely struggled and bargained as he was put in an uncomfortable half-squat position. As he did, Zero came closer and unsheathed a silver and black blade from under his coat. "Now be grateful Mr Braithwaite," he chided playfully, brandishing the knife in front of him, "Mackie boy underwent a lot more than you did. This'll only take 5 minutes. Or 5 hours. Psshht, I dunno."

He seized Verne's jaw and kept an iron grip, forcing him to stare into his reflection as the blade menacingly slid down his cheek, drawing a thin red line, making him wince in pain.

"Now Braithwaite," Zero spoke, uncharacteristically seriously (to Verne that is), "It is said that there was a God who punished the evil and wicked by exposing their sins to the world through hideous deformations, the light of day laying them bare. While most would interpret this as an idiom or metaphor for inner beauty and morality,"

The clip point tip of the dagger lifted off Verne's cheek and came to rest on his forehead.

"I think it also inspired a real punishment. And I think you're smart enough to know where this is going, right?"

A wave of realisation and fear rammed into Verne and he turned pale as a sheet, his jaw slackening aghast. From his reflection, he could see the terror in his eyes, wild and desperate despite his constraints and the mask's fish eye effect.

"Ah good," purred the metallic baritone, "you do. You feel the fear and pain you've caused and spread to the good people. And you understand what's due for you. Good. Very good indeed."

He pressed the tip of the blade and a drop of blood trickled from Braithwaite's forehead, the pain, sight and anticipation making the gangster hyperventilate.

"P-p-please! There must be a way to-"

"The time to plead has long past," intoned Zero sinisterly. "Now, let your sins be laid bare by Daybreak for all to see. Suffer as they suffered."

"Please!" begged Verne, snot dripping out his nostrils.

"What's that phrase they use?" Zero asked suddenly. "You know. The one in all the bad pornos?"

"H-huh?"

"Ah, yes. _Bite the pillow_."

With an air of finality, Zero pressed down on the dagger and Verne wailed out in pain. The blade's tip carved terrible, gory gorges on his brow, its wielder being deliberately as slow and ham-fisted as possible, drawing out screams as skin parted to form text cut out without any surgical precision. All the while, Verne could feel himself blacking out from the burning agony. As crimson ichor came down his face, first as rivulets then as a flood, his throat became sore and hoarse from his wails. Towards the end, his cries had been reduced to mere mewls and whimpers, his eyes dull and streaming with tears and his head held tightly by three different hands. Meanwhile, Braithwaite's goons looked on horrified, some losing their meals at the sight of such brutality and others soiling themselves. To Zero's credit, his own forces did not look to be affected bar the occasional aversion of gaze.

When he had finished, Zero took a step back to examine his handiwork. With a nod, two of his men dropped Verne, leaving him splayed out on the pavement, eyes wide in shock and mouth muttering something unintelligible. The inferno continued to dance in front of them, making Zero's knife glow crimson as blood dripped off its tip and illuminating the new 'tag' he had given Braithwaite in a hellish glow, **"SLAVER"** carved in big, bold, messy red script that flowed all over his expressionless face.

"I think you broke him boss," chuckled Mr Blau.

"So it may seem," muttered Zero. Wiping his blade with a tissue, he tossed the waste into the flaming building and looked to the assembled henchmen. "No matter, some just break more than others. Mr Shiro, kindly find us another messenger would you?" The aforementioned man gave a silent nod and headed off, coming back moments later with a cowering man -no, boy- who tried to make himself as small as possible.

"That was quick! Well done," praised Zero. Turning to the adolescent, he bent down low, making him crawl back in fear, only to be stopped when he felt a pair of legs blocking him. "What's your name boy?"

"F-Finn," he answered timidly.

"Well Finn, I need you to do something for me. Can you deliver a message for the rest of your organisation?" he whispered.

"I-I will!" hastily complied Finn.

"Good. Mr Blau," he called, snapping his gloved fingers. "The envelope please." The man took out a midnight black envelope from his jacket and passed it to his leader, who passed it onto Finn, who accepted it with shaky hands.

"Tell your master, DON MONTY," announced Zero bombastically, heard well even amongst the roar of burning buildings and the cry of sirens, "that there is a new player in town!" He spread out his arms, bathing in the fire's light. As though he willed it to, the building crumbled and the flames burst up in height with new ferocity. Meanwhile, the other gunmen began knocking out the other tied up men and binding them together, the thuds of their rifle butts echoing out despite the roar of the flames.

"Tell the decrepit old man that," he pointed to the earth, "this is our turf now! Vale is our town now! We rule this city now!"

"Tell him that Zero sent you! Tell him that the Pioneers' time is over" he roared. He looked at Finn and a section in his mask opened, letting a violet eye shine through and pierce Finn with its gaze.

**"Tell him that the Midnight Fang is taking over!"**

* * *

_"And so with a mighty cry, the great king Artorias charged forth and did battle with the great beast that ravaged his people and their lives._

_The monster stood tall as the forests and as strong as the mountains. Fur, black as sin yet grey as wisdom and bone pale as the dead howled a mighty challenge, the tributes left behind by challengers past rattling on its back._

_ The demonic wolf, strider of the forest, bore down on the king, its claws furiously swiping, it's great blade, hewed from the mountain and trees of its home, bore down and split the earth asunder._

_Such was the power of the great and terrible Sif."_

_-Excerpt from The Gallant Tales of Ser Artorias, New Emperor Oswald Translation, Published 1890 ATB, loaning-fiction, Serial No. 110345T, Beacon Academy Library_

* * *

**Hey guys, me again. I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter! I hope the dialogue wasn't too stilted and that it was to your liking and that the fight scene was fun and (hopefully) exciting to read! I'm trying to brush up on my skills :)**

**So, polls. I should have seen this coming. Lelouch's semblance is gonna be called "Obedience", as cliche as that is. But never mind. It was the people's choice and I'll accept it. Next up is Rolo's. It's already up on my profile so have at it. (Any new suggestions are welcome in the reviews.)**

**I'll try to get another chapter up when I can but sadly no guarantees. Nonetheless, I'll try my best.**

**See you till next time! TTFN**


	8. New Frenemies

**Hey all I'm back! Hope everyone's been doing well! **

**SO. A bunch of things happened while I was writing this (not gonna go through everything, I'm not mad). I apologise for not posting sooner but again, busy schedules! So I hope that you'll like this chapter enough to forgive me! BTW, thank you for all the support thus far! Reading your reviews always cheers me up a bit.**

**On that topic:**

**Werwolf fr: Funny. But geez that's like really intense. Maybe not for now. Also about the Celtic myth thing that's a maybe for now. (Also dude, try to paragraph your comment a bit, trust me it's waaaayy easier to read that way)**

**ewertondragon10: Thanks for the compliment. You do realise you posted it twice tho right?**

**Dragon lord Syed: Thanks for the support! Unfortunately it won't really go that way...**

**So before you read, just a reminder to go vote on the polls (the one on my profile not the US one silly) for Rolo's semblance, Kind of a meh performance so far. I need your help to confirm it thanks :)**

**And crazy things, monumental things have happened in the meantime. Biden was voted president, there _may_ be a COVID vaccine on the way (keyword: MAY) and 2020 is nearly to a close. Now, I ask that you set aside politics when reading this (because this is ultimately escapism) and I ask that you all be kind to each other and cherishing to your families. That's all!**

**Without further ado, on with the fic!**

Posted: 17/11/2020

**Chapter 7**

_"Gory, gory what a hell of a way to die! He ain't gonna jump no more!"_

_-Excerpt from "Blood On The Risers", Britannian Paratrooper song, Origin: Elysia, 1840 ATB_

**"WHAT?!"**

An antique table was flipped into the air before it gracefully crashed onto the carpeted floor, falling into a pile of fine mahogany wood chips worth more than someone's house. A dishevelled man, covered in soot, quivered in fear as a rotund figure seethed in rage, shoulders heaving and a crushed black envelope in his hand.

"H-he said tha-"

"I know what he said, fool!" roared the rotund man. It was clear to see that Don Giuseppe Niccolo Bassanio Antonio Arditi di Montagna, otherwise known as Don Monty, was not happy. He struck the snivelling brat, Finn was his name, and fumed at the pathetic display as the _weakling_ dared to look up at him pitifully. Taking a few deep breaths, he managed to calm himself to stop shaking in rage.

"What else? What else did this Zero say?" demanded Monty. With a shaky hand, Finn pointed to the crushed paper in his fist. "He said that would say everything."

With an annoyed grunt, the Don opened his left hand, signalling his bodyguard. Said bodyguard, a tall and brutish man in a dark suit, reached into a jacket and drew a out a switchblade with a gloved hand, opening it with a neat *click* and making Finn heavily flinch in fear.

"Calm down boy," irritatedly sighed the mafioso. He cut open the envelope and retrieved the letter from within, taking note of its slightly powdery texture but quickly dismissing it. Unfolding it, his eyes scanned the rectangular, printed font.

_Dear Don Monty,_

_I hope this finds you well and in good health._

_Consider this letter your eviction notice, your letter of repossession and a declaration of war, should you choose to pursue that. My client does not wish nor likes to lose._

_Go suck a chode, you fat, Valian, slaving whoreson of a pig._

_Ill regards,_

_Zero_

_CEO of the Midnight Fang_

As he glared at the insulting letter in silent fury, the Don's bodyguard upended the envelope and retrieved a small, black card along with a plastic packet that looked like it burst open, with traces of an odd white powder. Passing the card to Monty, the Don gave it a once-over with a scrutinising eye. Simple in design, it had a silver emblem printed onto its surface. "Midnight Fang eh?"

It bore the red, toothy, grinning skeletal stylisation of a wolf's skull, surrounded by a silver ring with cracks jutting and webbing inward. A facsimile to Remnant's broken satellite. With a snort, he crushed the letter and threw it in a fireplace. Then he turned back to Finn.

"Go and rest, kid. You're not needed here." With an intimidated nod, he scrambled out of the room. With a sigh, the Don turned to his personal muscle. "Guido, what do you think about them?"

Rubbing his chin, he gave it a little thought, taking the card and examining it for himself. "Hmm. If I had to guess," mused Guido, "Combined with what our mole in the pigs told me when Mac got hit on Tuesday night as well as today, they seem to be a splinter group of the WF."

"Mm, I thought so too," agreed the Don. Taking out his scroll, Guido opened up a video attachment before linking it to a huge TV screen in the office. "As you can see, from the footage our man in the PD sent, this is who we're dealing with." In a grainy image, illuminated by the flames of the burning warehouse was a figure, presumably male, masked with a shiny helmet and a black trenchcoat.

"So that's Zero," identified the Don. "I need a drink." Pouring himself some brandy from a decanter on a tray, he took a sip, taking time to enjoy the taste and the feeling of liquid fire going down his gullet. With a small sigh of content, he gestured for his aide and bodyguard to continue.

"Right. From what we've seen so far, the "Midnight Fang", as they call themselves, are well trained. We'll call them MF for short." Zooming in on a random gunman, he continued. "Looking at their gear, from the NVGs to what I think is a ballistic mask, as well as accounts from some of our guys in custody, it's likely that they're former WF members that chose to strike it out on their own as mercs. Pretty good ones at that. And if our account from Mackie is correct, they are acting as Torchwick's enforcers while he's stuck in the air."

"Then what about that ice cream girl?"

"Her? We haven't seen her since Torchwick was arrested. But there seems to be no sign of her here so it's unknown if they're working together."

"Anything else we should know?"

"Other than Zero's apparent flair for the dramatic? Nothing boss," concluded Guido.

"Alright then. You know what to do right?" An affirmative nod came from his aide. "Put a hit out for Zero, dead or alive. 5 mill in lien. Any other members of the MF are 10 grand. Any information is welcome."

"You got it." With a quick typing on his scroll, Guido jotted down everything. "What else?"

"Have our guys dig up any sources. Find what we can on the MF." He moves to set his empty glass on the table, only for it to fall and land with a dull thump on the carpet. "And get me a new table too," he grunted in annoyance.

"Noted. Well, I'll take my leave then boss. I'll update you if anything arises." With a quick bow, the Don's aide stepped out of the office, closing the door quietly behind him.

With a sigh, Monty glared at the fireplace, where the letter was still burning. 'Zero,' he fumed. 'Who knows what schemes that little upstart might be doing now?! I must consolidate the family. Otherwise, we'll have a bloodbath. If it's war he wants, it'll be war he gets.'

Indeed. Who knew what dastardly plans were concocted and games this rebel was playing in the shadows?

* * *

**-Beacon, Team LRGS Dorm-**

"In your honour, a royal flush."

As Lelouch smugly turned over his hand, the rest of his team groaned in frustration. "_Kuso_," complained Suzaku, "I was _so_ close too!" He threw down his hand petulantly, revealing a straight flush as his partner chuckled and pulled the Lien to himself greedily.

It was an uneventful Thursday morning. On the last day of their mission rest, LRGS had decided to take it free and easy. Thus they were in their dorm, playing a simple game of cards. Except that said game determined who was going to run the team's errands. Speaking of which…

"Well, Suzaku. Smallest pile. You know what that means," Gino said smugly. With a glare, the Kururugi collected the lien and stuffed them in his wallet. "Yeah, yeah I know. Put a sock in it."

It was his turn to play errand boy.

"You got the list right?" checked Lelouch. With a roll of his eyes, his partner pulled out his scroll. "Yeah, yeah. You want your ammo. Rolo wants his candy and makeup and Gino wants his haircare stuff."

"Hey!"

"That's about right. We'll update you on anything else." With a final nod, Suzaku trudged off, annoyed but begrudgingly leaving to do the shopping. "Don't forget your soup!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"So Lelouch, whatcha gonna do later?" asked Gino as he pocketed his share.

"I was thinking about doing some gear maintenance and then I'll either study or do some last checks on the tour," he answered as he got up to stretch. "You?"

"I'm gonna scout out the," he thought back to this morning, where he spied a team of recently arrived huntresses (from Vacuo he heard) a few tables away in the canteen. "_Competition_."

"You go and do that," sarcastically remarked Rolo, shoving lien into his pocket. "Horny wanker."

"Yeah and maybe you'll find out how to use their kinks against them. Really personal weaknesses, you know?" Lelouch jokingly added, putting in his own two cents.

"I'm not denying it," shrugged Gino. "Sides, at least I got game."

"Ooooh," winced Rolo, shaking his hand as if burnt. "Spicy!"

"Go suck a fat one, the both of you," Lelouch jabbed. "Imma shower and then I'll hit up the workshop."

"Tsk, tsk," playfully admonished Rolo. "What would dear grandma do if she heard you saying that? What would Guin do?"

"Nothing!" he called out from the bathroom. "They're not here!"

"He's got a point," remarked Gino as he shrugged on his jacket.

"Do you want me to cut off a braid?"

"Just try. I'll blast the pipes in your ears then," bit back Gino as he buttoned up. "Speaking of which, I'm gonna tend to them."

"You better not!"

"No promises~!" answered Gino as he went to unpack some things. With an annoyed sigh, Rolo rubbed the bridge of his nose as he stood up. 'Now what to do?' he wondered. All his errands were done and the others weren't free to train so he had his time to himself. 'Maybe I'll take a little stroll downtown.'

* * *

**-Beacon, Student Workshop-**

The smell of smoke and grease was a familiar one to the young Ruby Rose as she bounced into Beacon's workshop, humming along to a song only she could hear. The sonorous singing of metal on metal and the fizzle and pop of sparks filled the workspace, dotted by the glowing sky blue holoscreens, displaying a diversity of schematics for their users' convenience, and silver arms and bars that hung from the ceiling, bearing various tools connected to numerous black rubber hoses. She whipped out her scroll, stopped bouncing for a moment to tap into the registry and then continued inward into her second home. Headed to a workbench in her usual corner, she looked around, looking at all the new _**friends**_ Crescent Rose could make. At the same time, she mused on potential upgrades she could give her baby.

_Maybe I could set her up with a few FMJs. Ooh! A forward swinging blade! And a dust-lined barrel! But what type? Perhaps wind or lightning? Yeah, that could work. And maybe a-_

_Wait, that's new._

At a nearby workbench was a tall figure in a red t-shirt, seated and hunched over his project with a pair of earphones. To his right was a familiar purple jacket with armoured shoulders and a big, brown belt, hanging from a coat stand. As she crept closer, she could hear him muttering and humming to himself and was wary to startle him. 'Help him with his mind? Frowning all the time? What's that mean?' she wondered as she approached him.

It was **not** good to scare someone working on a weapon made to fell the beasts of darkness after all. So instead of hollering out, she came up behind him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Lelouch?"

He stopped his work, hit pause on his nearby scroll and turned to look over his shoulder. "Oh! Hi Ruby!" He turned himself toward her and hung his earphones around his neck. "What's up?"

"Oh you know not much. Just some maintenance on Crescent Rose."_ 'And to scope out all the other beautiful weapons' she silently added._

"Rrrrright," he responded doubtfully. "Your sister would beg to differ."

"Oh really? What did she say?" asked Ruby as she crossed her arms, doing her damndest to look intimidating. Unfortunately, Lelouch saw anything but.

"My how adorable," he chuckled as he patted her on the head. "And to answer your question, something about being an engineering and weapons nut."

"I'm not a nut!" she pouted, swiping his hand away.

"Oooh, feisty!" he remarked, pulling away. He tilted his head back to the bench. "Hey, you wanna see what I'm working on?"

"Do I?!"

She bounced over by his side as he scooted over to give her space. "Behold, my stuff."

On the gray, oil-stained table, among an assortment of tools strewn all over lay a cruciform sword, a dagger and Lelouch's breastplate. 'A hand-and-a-half!' noted the young Rose. "Babies!" she cried out, her hand surging over to feel them.

A sharp slap from her fellow team leader has her recoiling said hand and nursing it. "Ow?!"

"Careful! We're in the workshop," he chided. Stepping aside, he let her have the table, and the weapons, for herself. "Slowly now."

"Oh, right. Hehe," she chuckled nervously. With steady hands, she first picked up the sword, one on the hilt and the other lifting up its blade with a cloth. It was a beautiful sword, the hilt a dark purple with golden accents and the blade a silver-edged piece with a razor-sharp edge and a black, tubular segment that ran down its fuller. Where the blade met the hilt, the sharpened edge disappeared, in its place an oddly blocky ricasso acting as the 'bridge' with a small receptacle holding a glowing purple substance in it. Ruby couldn't help but marvel at the craftsmanship that went into the weapon, her hand ghosting over seamlessly flush lines that ran along the blade and her image brilliantly reflected off its surface.

"This is Oath," Lelouch introduced as she turned the weapon over in her hands. He pulled the Holoscreen towards them as he continued his spiel. "My main. A rifle and blade hybrid. Measures one hundred and twenty cm as a blade, eighty cm in its assault variant and a hundred when in marksman. Chambered in 5.56mm rounds and has a loaded reservoir of gravity dust." He gestured to the glowing purple feature, the purpose now clear to his audience. "Sights, triggers, charging handle, magazine and ejection ports are on the ricasso." Taking a closer look, Ruby could make out the features he mentioned, flushed and blending in with the rest of the weapon.

The hilt was primarily a dark, lustrous purple with a few gold inlays. The quillon was tipped with octahedral protrusions at each end and the guards were shaped oddly, having upward-facing grooves that looked to be designed for ease of grip, albeit rather thin, keeping to a more conventional design. Though the base of the hilt was yet another oddity, being circular with little guide rails running along the circumference. Yet it was small enough to not impede its wielder's dexterity. As she ran her hand up the hilt, she also took notice of the gold that spiraled along the hilt, how it widened out at the base of the guard and how the pommel looked like a three-pronged crown. Designed like a rook piece, it had flat contours and facets in a shiny finish. Looking inside, she saw a bunch of connections but for the life of her could not figure out their purpose. She also noticed a pair of switches, hiding at the base of the guard as the hilt bloomed outwards.

"Oh she's a beauty innit?" Lelouch rhetorically asked with great pride.

"She is," admired Ruby. Just then, she noticed a little engraving at the base of the blade. It looked like a little teardrop. "What's this?" she asked, pouting to the marking. "That's a story for another day," deflected Lelouch. "I promise to tell you then."

"Pinky swear?" she pushed, bringing up a hand. He rolled his eyes in amusement and extended his own. "Pinky swear," he answered with surety.

As he reached over to pluck Oath from her hands, she squawked and whined in protest. "Now now. If we stood here all day looking at Oath, we'd never get to her brother. Don't you want to meet him?"

"DO I?!" She suddenly became acutely aware of all the stares she was drawing and shrunk back. "Sorry."

"Bah! It's fine," brushed off Lelouch. "Anyway, here." He reached over to the other side of the workbench, where his dagger lay. "This is Treachery."

"Oooh~!"

As Lelouch took back Oath for a final sharpening, Ruby gave its smaller sibling a scrutinising scan. It was an oddly long and wide stilettoesque weapon with a forward swept crossguard making it look like a "Y". In contrast to the brilliant glory of Oath, Treachery was primarily an unassuming matte amethyst in colour. Though in similar fashion, its fuller was a dull gunmetal gray. And instead of a tubular component, it had a series of tiny grooves that originated from the simple black and silver hilt, webbing outwards in a way similar to the veins of a leaf. At the base of the crossguard was another pair of switches similar to that on Oath and a circular port in its centre with five distinct divisions about the size of that coin Lelouch gave her. The hilt itself was simple in design, being a black assembly with silver highlights. And just like Oath, it had that weird crown-like pommel, though it was silver and had that same teardrop marking stamped onto its surface.

The sharp whine of grinding metal and the glow of sparks brought Ruby's gaze over to a belt grinder, where Lelouch stood with a pair of earmuffs and goggles, slowly and meticulously bringing Oath's length across the sharpening belt with a pair of gloves.

Turning back to Treachery, she pulled the holoscreen closer to look at its specs. Swiping away from Oath's, she enlarged the dagger's schematics and read aloud to herself.

"Treachery. Dust dagger and longsword hybrid." 'Cool,' she thought. Length of seventy cm as a dagger and a hundred as a sword. Dust loadout of fire, lightning, ice, dust and gravity." For such a simple weapon, its features brought stars to her eyes. Just as she was about to close the page, her eyes caught a single word, right at the bottom of the list of features.

"Aura-locked?"

A curious finger tapped the display and a new window opened up on the screen. Expecting a barrage of information, she was left wanting when all she read were five words.

"This weapon has been bloodbound? What's that mean?"

"That would be a little trade secret."

"EEP!" she squeaked in fright. Whipping around, Lelouch stood just behind her, his towering frame combined with his slow, methodical wiping of his sword cutting an imposing image.

"I'm sorry!" she blabbered. "I was just curious and it sounded unusual and-"

A low chuckle stopped her frightened defence. Lelouch's smiling face though turned that shock into relief. "It's quite alright," he assured. "Not everyday someone expresses interest."

"Oh," she responded in stunned stupor. "What exactly does it mean then?"

"Mm, can't really say," hummed Lelouch, tapping his nose. "It's a little secret after all. Maybe when you're older. What I will say is that it's a rite of passage thing."

"Dawww, come on!"

"Nope!" he coyly answered. Taking his leather sheath off of his hanging belt, he started to apply oil to its interior. "So how's the coin exercise coming along?"

"I've gotten faster!" she proudly proclaimed. Reaching into her pouch for the coin, she frantically pat herself down looking for it. Crapbaskets, where was it?! How could you lose a gift like that!? Oh stupid stupid stu-

The coin flashed before her eyes. "Looking for this?" The cheek! She snatched the coin back from Lelouch's grease and soot stained hands and blew a raspberry.

How it infuriated her that he dared to chuckle!

"How did you do that?" demanded Ruby. He chuckled again and pat her head, causing her to shrivel and pout, before he moved his hand to her ear and drew it back, revealing a similar coin that was definitely not there.

"Sleight of hand," he winked at her. Giving his hand a flourish, the coin rolled over his fingers and into his palm before disappearing entirely. "Woaahhh! Teach me teach me!" bounced Ruby.

"All in good time, my young disciple," joked Lelouch. "Since you are so eager, I'll let you in on a little something."

"Is it about the aura-lock?!" she bounced excitedly.

"No, no. Nothing of the sort," he smiled. "Good try though."

"It's about my weapons actually. But obviously since you're so focused on the auralocking aspect, I guess I may as well not tell you about-"

"TELLMETELLMETELLME!" she insisted, shaking his arm wildly.

"Fine! fine! I will," he laughed. "Promise not to tell anyone else though?"

"Fine," she pouted.

"Good!" He nodded. He bent down to whisper in her ear and she closed her eyes, straining to hear whatever he was telling her above the clamour of the workshop. Then her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Oathbreaker?"

'I wonder what they're on about?' wondered a silver haired bystander.

* * *

**-Downtown Vale-**

"Yeah, I need 1000 rounds of 7.62, 500 of the 5.56 and 1200 of the 9mm. Oh! Also some Ice and Fire dust, powder form please."

With a grunt which Suzaku assumed was a "yes", the elderly shopkeeper retreated to the back for the wares. Whistling a little tune, he tapped his foot and chewed the plastic rod of a lollipop. 'I wonder how the setup is coming along? Last I heard, the temporary station just outside Dell is almost complete.'

The sound of ammo boxes slamming onto the padded countertop shook him out of his musing. Across from him, the old man grunted and turned the cash register's little screen toward the young Nihonian.

'Ouch, that's a lot,' he winced as he forked over his student card. "Charge it to the school." With a nod, the shopkeep swiped the card on the reader and moments later, it spat out a receipt with a *whiiiir*.

With a courteous "Thank you!", Suzaku picked up the cases and waddled out the store, the chime of the shopkeeper's bell announcing his exit. Meanwhile, on the inside, Suzaku could feel his wallet bleed.

True, the costs were underwritten by the school. That said, seeing a four digit price made him want to cry. 'Well, nothing we can do about it I guess. Comes with the job,' he shook his head in resignation. Setting the shopping down on the sidewalk, he pulled out a key and inserted it into the bike in front of him, powering its system with a chirp.

The Destrier ATV MKII, colloquially known to its riders as the Multibike, was a sleek, sport-touring style motorcycle a bit on the short side and covered in a glossy greenish-black with sky blue lines running all over it and extra luggage space on its rear, along with an odd pair of wheels, with each seeming to be made of two thinner tyres pressed together. Once Suzaku stowed away his cargo and ignited its engine, the vehicle pulsed to life with a roar, its stripes flashing a bright pink before settling into a softly glowing cyan.

Checking the cargo to see if it was secure, he gave a satisfied nod and mounted the bike, stowing away its kickstand. Tapping at a screen mounted between the handlebars and docking his scroll, the vehicle's various displays and statistics ran across them briefly before the system gave an all clear with a green glow.

'Right then.' He donned a small, simple black helmet with a blacked out, flip down visor and head vents before pulling away from the curb. 'Remember. You drive on the right side,' he reminded himself.

The drive down earlier in the day did not exactly go well. There was a lot of screaming and honking horns.

'At least they were understanding,' he sighed as he stopped at a traffic light. 'I did get everything right?'

As he sifted through his mind, his eye caught a familiar gray and silver blur race across the rooftops. "Huh. So that's what he's doing." Moving off from the junction, Suzaku grinned to himself as turned onto the avenue that ran along the coastline. With a chuckle, he opened up on the bike's accelerator and roared down the empty street, barring a few cars now and then. 'Thank Kami it's not lunch yet,' he said to himself. He parked the bike, took off his helmet and let the sea breeze hit him. Pulling out a package wrapped in some clingwrap, he munched happily on a small sandwich he bought earlier. 'Let's see. I've got the bullets, snacks, hair care," he took a peek in one of the containers, seeing a half dozen assortment of cans, '_essentials_, and the camo. All done!'

Hey, he was playing team errand boy today. He wanted to have a fun drive around town and relax when he was done. Sue him. 'Actually please don't,' he mentally corrected.

Just then, the wail of sirens caught his attention and he turned to look, watching a trio of police cruisers shoot past him to what he vaguely guessed was the commercial district.

'Wait, wasn't that where Rolo was headed?' he wondered. Then he blanched. 'Oh for fuck's sake!' Revving the engine, he chased after the trio, weaving in and out of the ever denser traffic. 'Come on, come on!' He grit his teeth in irritation as he made his way onto the highway. He yanked the throttle and the multibike roared in approval, zipping down the long lanes and tailing the police cars. Eventually, they pulled into an exit, leading into the jungle of steel, glass and concrete. And just up ahead, Suzaku spied a few shops with broken windows, some goons that were handcuffed and prone on the ground and-

Was that a wrecked bullhead?

_The fuck happened here?!_

Quickly parking the multibike, Suzaku jogged over and to his relief, Rolo was not handcuffed. Instead he stood to the side, talking to a police officer who was taking notes. Beside him was a girl with bright orange hair and green eyes, wearing a white blouse and a grey skirt. There was another girl beside them, with dark skin and a blue blouse and beret combo. Also a weird golden diamond on her forehead.

Suzaku briskly stormed over to the three. "Rolo Lamperouge!" he yelled, the younger boy jumping in shock. "What. The. Hell?! Happened here?!" he worriedly demanded. "I'm so sorry officer for what my teammate has done!" His hand wrapped around the back of Rolo's head and Suzaku pushed down, forcing both of them into a waist height bow. "Eh s'alright, kid," tiredly drawled the officer as he closed his notebook. "Your friend didn't do anything wrong. He helped out with stopping those guys over there." He nodded towards the handcuffed suspects, who were being loaded into the cars.

"Just had to take a statement from him along with the girl over there. Nothing more than that," assured the police officer as he lit a cigarette. "The schools will cover anything. Just try to lessen up on the property damage next time, 'kay?" he asked with a wink.

"Yes sir!" Suzaku answered. "Good kid," nodded the man as he walked off. "I'll call you or the school if we need anything. Otherwise, stay out of trouble!" he called as he waved.

"We will!"

As the cruiser drove off, Suzaku's waving slowed to stop and he turned his head over to Rolo, a sickly sweet smile on his face. "Rolo. Sweet, little Rolo," he spoke with deliberation. 'I'm screwed!' He cried in pain as his cheeks were pinched in vice grips. "What did you do, you silly boy?! Do you know how worried I was!?" screamed Suzaku, shaking his teammate back and forth by the shoulders.

"I'm sOoooOrRyY!" Rolo managed to squeeze out as he was shook. A hopeful gaze was thrown over to the red haired girl, pleading for her to intervene. 'Please, get me out of this!'

Alas, she was dense as iron.

Once Suzaku worked off the anxiety, he took a breath and dropped the faunus, letting him land on his butt in an undignified squeak.

"What do we do with you Rolo?" sighed Suzaku. Pushing himself onto his feet, Rolo dusted himself off, took a deep breath and replied.

"If you gave me a chance to EXPLAIN MYSELF," he emphasised. "Things would be different. I **helped** the law enforcement thank you very much!"

"Oh, do tell," sarcastically drawled Suzaku. As he began to retell the past hour, he heard a whisper behind him. "Penny, we should _really_ go. Like right now!" hissed a voice. "I don't think that your father nor the general will be pleased if they found out."

"But I wanna be with my new friend!"

_Ah ha!_

"She can testify for me!" Rolo proclaimed, wrapping an arm around the slowly retreating redhead who squeaked in surprise.

"Really?" asked his brother's partner with a raised eyebrow.

"Now wait just a minute!"

"Not now, Ciel! I'm proving my innocence!"

In contrast to the dark skinned girl, who Suzuki assumed was Ciel, who was protesting, the bubbly redhead eagerly stuck out a hand! "Sa~lu~tations! My name is Penny Polendina! Pleased to meet you!" she greeted cheerily.

Smiling with mirth, Suzaku accepted the gesture and shook. "Good to make your acquaintance, Penny. Rolo says you can vouch for him. Can you?"

"Anything for a friend!" she nodded.

"Well, by all means. Be my guest."

"Right! So I met Rolo just about an hour ago at 1023. I was out for a stroll..."

* * *

**\- 1 hour ago,** **Vale-**

_The denizens of Vale were milling about, settling into a familiar place and routine. Children went to school, adults commuted to and from work. Barring the nearly complete repairs from the breach and the news of presumed gang violence the past few days, it was a regular Thursday morning that saw the city gearing up for the Vytal Festival._

_That is if no one bothered to look up._

_"Woohoo!" whooped a dark blur zipping across the rooftops. It bounded off a wall, shot out a silver line and swung from a streetlamp. With a click, it released its hold and landed soundly on an office building. Snapping up to a 'Y', Rolo smiled jubilantly, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "And he sticks the landing!" he cried in triumph. "WHOO!"_

_Whipping off his beanie, he plopped down onto the concrete roof with a grin. Pulling a water bottle from his belt, he grinned in satisfaction as he drank, relishing a cool breeze passing by. Gazing out towards the sea, he took in the sight of gleaming blue waters with crashing white waves, bustling crowds and a clear blue sky with a proudly blazing sun._

_'Photo op,' he told himself as he took his scroll out of his pocket. With a few electronic *clicks*, the view was preserved. 'Gonna send that to Nunna later. Now,' he wondered as he opened a map of Vale. 'Where to next?'_

_He had already been through the residential district and the city centre. After that, he hit up the docks, then the industrial area. And he had stayed well away from the upper class districts. Something about property damage and rich people being stuffy about it. He wasn't really paying attention when Lelouch talked to him about his "little strolls"._

_"Hur durr, you can't go there Rolo!" he imitated. "We can't afford to pay for that much damage! Yeah, right. And last night was totally fine!"_

_There was something nice about seeing the results of their actions. The knowledge that he contributed to something with such grand repercussions was stunning._

_Or maybe he was just an arsonist._

_Scrutinising the map, he took one last swig of water, put away the bottle and took out a marker. Popping the cap off with his mouth, he marked the docks with a large check. Now where to next?_

_Forever Fall sounded nice. But it was crawling with Grimm and the guys were in no position to come in quickly enough if he got bogged down. Agricultural district? Maybe. Vast, open fields, fresh air and forests galore. _

_'But it's wayyyy too far for me,' countered Rolo. He would have to cross like half of the whole frickin city to get there. 'So Commercial district it is.' With a grunt and a stretch, Rolo got up to his feet, stowing his belongings away in a pouch on his belt. He popped open a little flap on his braces and checked his little gravity-wind reservoirs. 'Looks good,' he concluded._

_He limbered up, loosening his muscles and put his beanie back on, making sure his other ears fit through the holes. He jerked his arms down and released some aura, letting the pieces of his armour connect to each other through its rail system with metallic *clicks*. He took a few steps back and breathed deep. Taking a running start, he leapt off the tower with his arms stretched out. As the wind whipped at his eyes, he threw out an arm towards a nearby smokestack and pressed a small button on the side of his proximal index knuckle, pulsing aura through the system. With a pneumatic *hiss*, he felt a familiar pull along his extended arm as the leather straps he wore tensioned around the limb, supporting him as a curved dagger shot out from under his forearm. The cable unspooled and lengthened, letting the blade sail through the air until it latched onto its target, hooking around the smokestack and back onto the cable with a *clank*. Clicking it twice, he jerked forward as the line went taut, the various sheaves along his arm spinning back to reel in the cable. He smiled wildly as he pulled his arm back, unlatching the blade and sending himself sailing forward through the air._

_Hurtling like a cannonball, he shot another at a lamppost and soon, he settled into a routine long burned into his muscles. He swung, zipped and shot across the low buildings of the industrial estate, vaulting over cooling units and tumbling over roofs as he made his way to the gleaming spires of glass and steel in the distance. 'Wonder if I should get any souvenirs? Postcards are a must. So is a plushy,' Rolo told himself as the buildings turned from dull concrete to elegant sandstone. 'Guin would like some flowers, for sure. But what would Odd want? And what about-'_

_"Ohhhhhh shit!" He tried to shoot out a hasty line to halt his motion, seeing a green and orange blur _fly up_ from literally nowhere. But he forgot that inertia was a thing and his momentum carried him into a direct collision course with the weird floating object. With a loud *thud* of bodies slamming into each other, the two tumbled down to the ground with a *crash*!_

_Luckily, they landed in a park. On soft, comfy carpet grass at that. Though that was not at the forefront of the young Faunus' mind. While the other victim had a soft landing, he was in great, great pain._

_"Durin, my back! My face!" groaned Rolo as he regained his bearings and spat out a wad of soil. It felt like slamming into a wall of steel and cloth! Hearing another voice groan above him, eyes snapped open in alarm and he scrambled to his feet and quickly helped the blob, which he now knew was a girl from her voice, to her feet despite the murmurs of passersby and the shuffles of their feet as they quietly tried to get away from what looked like two teens in a tussle. "I'm so sorry!" he apologised as he pulled her to her feet. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"_

_The girl in question held her head in a daze before shaking her head, her eyes regaining focus. Literally apparently. 'I don't think eyes are meant to do that,' commented Rolo offputedly. He watched as each pupil and erratically contracted and dilated independently. Was there a whirring sound? 'Wait, shit. Is she concussed?!' "Quickly, how many fingers do you see?!"_

_The girl shook her head again and when her eyes opened, they were normal. Huh. That's odd. 'Better not look a gift horse in the mouth,' commented Rolo as he breathed a sigh of relief. _

_"Three."_

_"Sorry?"_

_"Three fingers. You're holding up three fingers, correct?" she asked._

_"Oh, uh yes! Yes I am!" he nodded as he put his hand down. "Do you know what date it is? Where you are? What you were doing?"_

_"Of course! It's May the seventeenth, we're in Mount Glenn memorial park and I was flying up to take in the sights when something hit me!" she rattled off._

_"That was me. Sorry," he demurely apologised._

_"That's alright! I'm completely fine!" she reassured, giving herself a quick once over. "I'm combat ready!" she proclaimed with an odd salute._

_"...Okay," accepted Rolo. "That's… good to hear!"_

_"What about you? Are you hurt?" asked the odd girl as she advanced onto him, quickly checking all over his body._

_"I think I'm okay besides a little bruise," placated Rolo, forcefully but politely pulling himself out of her gloved grasp._

_"Sorry! Was I being too rough?" she asked innocently. Before he could answer, her eyes lit up. "Oh my, how impolite of me! I've not introduced myself!" She stuck out her hand. "Penny Polendina, at your service!"_

_Rolo took a quick pause, gauging the odd amount of friendliness this girl dressed in gray and green accorded him. 'Eh, I'll accept it,' he shrugged to himself as he took her hand. "Rolo Lamperouge, _enchanté_."_

_"Salutations, Rolo!" she greeted back. Her hand snatched his and shook vigorously, leaving his shoulder sore. "Strong grip," he commended, trying to hide the pain. What kind of food does one eat for a girl who looks his sister's age and size to have a grip like that?! 'It's like a vice!' he winced as he shook his hand. 'Feels like solid steel!'_

_"Thanks!" she cheerfully accepted, oblivious to his pain. Well, with a smile and demeanour like that, he really couldn't stay mad at her. Too pure. Far too pure for this world. 'Must protect,' he told himself before he snapped out of it. Where did that come from?!_

_'Probably my guilt in causing her to crash,' he surmised. There was a moment of awkward silence, neither really knowing how to continue their conversation._

_"So, you here for the Vytal Festival?" he asked out of the blue. 'Would make sense if she was. Didn't see her in the Beacon files.'_

_"I very much am!" she bubbly responded. "I'm here to prove my worth!"_

_"That's an admirable goal, Penny," smiled Rolo. "Who's your partner?"_

_"Oh, her name's Ciel Soleil!"_

_'Really?' Rolo asked, taken aback. 'Who names their kid Sunny Sky? You know what? It's just a four kingdoms thing. I'm not gonna be bothered by it.'_

_"Is something the matter?" asked Penny, curious about the light sputter he let out. "Oh, no it's nothing. Just had a weird thought, that's all."_

_"Oh, I see," nodded Penny, gaining a sagely look. "You had one of those so-called brain farts Ruby told me about."_

_"You know Ruby?"_

_"Why yes! We met each other at the docks a few weeks back! She's my friend!" she happily recounted. "Would you be my friend?"_

_Taken aback by the sudden question, Rolo's ears, neutral until this point, sprang back in mild alarm. "Uh, yeah. Sure. I guess I can be your friend."_

_"Splendid!" she cheered as she surged in for a hug, squeezing tightly and lifting him off the ground. "Penny!" wheezed Rolo, legs flailing and arms pinned to his side, "Can't! Breathe!"_

_"I'm sorry!" gasped the girl as she quickly released him. "It's alright," he coughed out, rubbing his sore forearms. "Word of advice. Next time, don't try to break bones when giving hugs."_

_"I'll keep that in mind!" she giggled. "I'll make sure to update my databanks!"_

_"Right," he neutrally responded. "Say do you want to go eat something? My way of apologising for earlier."_

_"Hm," Penny hummed. "I should have some time in my schedule. Where do you want to go?"_

_"Maybe some ice cream?"_

_"How wonderful!" she cried, latching onto his arm. "I always wanted to try the frozen dairy confectionery!"_

_"Well, then how about we walk around and look for one? There should be a good one somewhere around here."_

_"Let's go!" Penny excitedly declared, pulling him along. _

_"Slow down, slow down!"_

_"Oops. Sorry!" she apologised, reining herself into a sedate pace._

_"So you never had ice cream?" Rolo asked as they explored the malls._

_"Nope," Penny shook her head. "My dad never let me."_

_"Oof. Sounds harsh," winced Rolo in sympathy. It was like that time Nelly banned him from candy for months when she went through that crazy fitness phase. It was torture. Sheer, unparalleled torture that no child should endure! He still had nightmares about it._

_"It's not like that," defended Penny. "He just said that it was bad for me back then."_

_"You're lactose intolerant then?"_

_"No. He was just concerned about my health."_

_"Ah, okay," realised Rolo. "Sounds private. I won't push into it then."_

_"Thanks!"_

_As they continued walking, Penny had something come to mind. "Hey Rolo," she began, turning her head to look at him. "Can I ask you something?"_

_"Sure. Shoot," he allowed as they rounded the corner. "What's it about?"_

_"Your name," she said as she gained a pensive look, her head tilting to the side as a finger rose to her. "Lamperouge. Lamperouge," she pondered. "You're from Britannia, aren't you?"_

_"Good guess!" he commended. "How did you know?"_

_"I studied up on your homeland," she said. "A lot!"_

_"Really?" Rolo asked mirthfully. "How about a challenge then? Guess what region I'm from."_

_"Alright! Any clues?" probed Penny._

_"My name is all you'll get."_

_"Well, let's see," she thought aloud. "Lamperouge is not really an old Mantlian name. It would have more likely been found in what's now Vale and Vacuo. Given what you said earlier, I infer that you, sir, are from the Duchy of Elysia, correct?"_

_"Bravo! Bravo!" applauded Rolo happily. "Your father has taught you well. It's also where the main campus of Monastery is located."_

_"Oooh! What's it like?"_

_"The main school?"_

_"Uh huh!"_

_"Well, it's... big. Huge open fields, kind teachers. Great tech for sure. It's located up in the Black Mountains of Carcassonne and overlooks the city, sprawling down towards it. The school itself is made of two sections. The old castle, the original monastery and the new campus which is an extension. Actually," he interposed, a thought running in his mind, "it's more of a citadel come to think of it."_

_"What about the other campuses?"_

_"Those are branches. Usually, they're used as dorms for the students and for climate training. Technically, they're their own school, being mostly autonomous. They all fall under the Monastery brand though. There is a new one in Britannian Nihon, though that one is more civilian focused than Paladin. It's called Ashford Academy and falls under the main branch in Elysia. "_

_"Interesting," noted Penny. "How do you travel to each one?"_

_"Usually, we take an underground railroad. The one between Elysia and Nihon is like 5 hours? Around there. Now, why don't you tell me about your school?"_

_"Are you sure? You may not... like it," cautioned Penny._

_"Come on! It's only fair," insisted Rolo._

_"Okay, I guess I could tell you. I'm from Atlas Academy," she revealed, swallowing her fear._

_"Pfft. That's it?" he asked incredulously. "That's what you were afraid of?"_

_"You're not mad?"_

_"Why would I be? I've no reason to be angry at you."_

_"But what about the rivalry? And the war?"_

_"Bigger things for bigger people. Not my problem," he shrugged indifferently. "Besides, I'm old enough to know that because you're part of something doesn't make you one of them."_

_"Well, thank you for accepting me!" she beamed._

_"It's no problem. That and we're trying to build peace. Arguments would be counterproductive," he added._

_"I suppose you're right!"_

_"So," he clapped. "What's Atlas like?"_

_"Well it's a floating city, cut out of and located above the old capital of Mantle," she stated factually. "It gets cold and windy at times."_

_"Wait, it floats?" Rolo asked incredulously._

_"Mhm!" nodded Penny._

_"...I'm not gonna question it," he groaned with gritted teeth. "So, let's change the topic. What kind of Grimm do you face there?"_

_"Well, usually we-"_

_"PENNY POLENDINA! THERE YOU ARE!"_

_The two winced and turned to the source, seeing dark-skinned girl, roughly around their age, storming over to them. "Where have you been?! I've been looking for you for the past half-hour! Don't you know how worried I was?!" she rattled off, seizing Penny's cheek with a tight pinch._

_"I presume that you're her partner?" deduced Rolo, chuckling at his new friend's expense. Noticing the third party, the girl released Penny and regained her composure. "Yes. Ciel Soleil. Partner to Penny Polendina. A pleasure," she greeted insincerely, eyeing him with suspicion even as she extended a hand. "And you are?"_

_"Rolo Lamperouge. Monastery," he answered, matching her tone. Ciel, as much as she tried to cover it up, flinched when she heard the information. Something that Rolo did not miss. "Excuse me for a moment."_

_She grabbed Penny's shoulders and hastily rounded a corner, her partner in tow. Rolo, sighing in resignation, leaned against the wall, giving them their space._

_That _did not_ stop him from pricking his feline ears up though. Alas, with the bustle of a late morning crowd, he could only gather bits and pieces. But, it sounded harsh._

_Snippets like, "What did the general…", "not meant to interact…" and "risking yourself.." were all that he heard before the duo returned. "Everything alright?" he asked cordially. "We're fine_

. Just… reminding my partner of some commitments later this evening," explained Ciel.

'Yeah right,' he mentally snorted. "Shall we be on our way then Penny?"

"Yes, let's!" she eagerly replied.

"Now wait just a minute!" Ciel interjected, catching her partner by the shoulder. "We've got a project due. We can't just go gallivanting on a whim!"

"But-"

"But what?!"

"I want ice cream!"

"Geez, Ciel. Let her have her ice cream."

"You!" she snapped, pointing at Rolo. "I don't know who you think you are but you aren't the boss of her. Her school commitments come first and that's final!" Turning to Penny she continued. "Seriously, Penny. What would your father think when he hears about this?"

"Hey, don't-"

"It's fine Rolo," interrupted Penny dejectedly. "Let's go, Ciel."

"Very good! Now about-"

A low rumble echoed through the commercial district, followed by the sharp tinkling of broken glass piercing the air and the sporadic chatter of gunfire. His head whipping to the direction of the source, he heard the shriek of an alarm go off about a block away. And with that, his eyes narrowed and he engaged his gear. "Penny let's go!"

"Right!" she nodded. Her hands hooked under his armpits and with a flash of neon green, they took off.

"HEY! PENNY! COME BACK HERE!"

Leaving Ciel all alone.

Muttering out curses under her breath, she began to run, trying to keep up with the green streak left by the gray and blue blur.

* * *

**-Present-**

"So you tried to stop a bank robbery, crashed their getaway ride," he nodded to the wrecked bullhead carcass behind him, "then fought the robbers until the cops came?"

"Yep!" Rolo proudly confirmed. 'I bet everyone's going to think I'm so cool now! Can't wait to-"

A fist impacting his crown brought him out of his reverie. "OW!? What was that for?!"

"While what you did was good," accepted Suzaku, "you could have let us know about it?!"

'Well there were people in danger!" argued Rolo. "Besides, it wasn't as if I couldn't handle them."

"I know, I know. That aside, good job! I know everyone back home will be proud of you when they hear about it," he praised.

"Really?!"

"Really," grinned Suzaku, ruffling the shorter boy's hair. "Now where's Penny? I would like to talk to her more." So focused were they on each other in their short spat that they lost focus of her and her partner.

"Isn't she right behind me?"

"Not anymore."

Rolo whipped around, scanning the vicinity. But to his dismay, his orange-haired friend was nowhere to be seen. "Ah, don't worry about getting ditched by the girl. I'm sure you'll see her again," assured the Nihonian boy. "Come on, let's go back to Beacon."

With one last look, Rolo followed Suzaku and sat behind him on the bike, riding pinion. And as they rode off, he resolved to focus on other topics in the meantime. "Any progress on the exhibits?"

"They should be ready to open by tomorrow, from what I hear," answered Suzaku as they waited at a stoplight. "You'll have to ask Lelouch if you want to know more."

"Any word from home?"

"Not much. Just the council trying to handle the school without two of its members."

"Its two most competent members."

"Hey, I didn't say that," cheekily grinned Suzaku as they drove down the highway.

'I wonder how Kallen's doing?'

* * *

**-Meanwhile, in Ashford Academy-**

"Achoo!"

"Ooh. Someone's thinking about you Kallen!" teased Milly Ashford, President of the Ashford Academy student council. "I bet it's a boy who's crushing on you!"

"Yeah, whatever," waved the redhead dismissively, turning back to her call.

"Kallen, everything alright?"

"I'm alright Ohgi. So everything is fine for the weekend?"

"It is. Can you make it?"

"Of course I can. I wouldn't miss a chance like this!"

"Right, then we'll see you then! Take care and stay out of trouble!"

"I will. Bye!" With a breath of finality, she ended the call. Now she just had to make it through this farce of a school week. Soon, she'll be available to fight for her home against the imperials and she would revel when they-

"So who's this Ohgi?!" came Mill out of nowhere, snatching her scroll away.

"Prez! Give that back!"

She really hated school. Why were they up so early anyway?

* * *

**-Vale-**

"Eh, probably in class or something," he shrugged.

"What was that?" asked Rolo.

"It's nothing," Suzaku dismissed as they pulled into the bullhead docks. Suddenly, as he dismounted he heard a loud growl come from behind. "Sorry, that was me," admitted Rolo.

"Hungry?" Suzaku asked rhetorically. "Oh no, my animal side is taking over and I'm preparing to devour you whole," sassed Rolo.

"Thanks, but no thanks. You're practically a little brother and I don't swing that way," deadpanned the Nihonian. Dodging a swipe, he chuckled to himself seeing Rolo's flustered expression. "Keep that up and you won't get your candy," he taunted, dangling the keys in front of the younger boy. With a defeated sigh, Rolo ground out, "Fine you win. I'm sorry. Can I have the keys now?"

Making good on his word, Suzaku dropped the ring of keys into the awaiting palm. "So, what do we have this time?" wondered Rolo, unlocking rummaging through the bike's cargo. "Aha!" he announced joyously, pulling out a red bag of liquorice. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it," Suzaku offhandedly said as the aircraft jerked and lifted off. Then, his scroll pinged and he unlocked it.

"What're Gino and Lelouch doing in the library?" asked the youngest LRGS member, his mouth full of candy.

"Your brother _did say_ he might study. My money's on Gino deciding to mess with him."

"And the girl on his arm?"

"Well, Gino's scouting out the competition."

"That horny bastard!" chuckled Rolo.

* * *

**-Beacon Academy, Library-**

"Lulu, smile!"

Gino's leader took a moment to raise his head from the tome and flashed a fanged pearly white smile, much to the amusement of him and the Shade second year to his side. "Oh, glorious leader you blind us," he smiled as he took a picture.

"There, you have your picture. Now can you leave me alone?" Lelouch asked tiredly, sliding his headphones back on.

"Righto, boss! I'll be out of your hair."

"And go play with your own," finished the elder Lamperouge.

"Well, whatevs," shrugged the largest member of LRGS. He turned to the girl on his arm. "Miss Violette, shall we?"

With a giggle, the two walked off, leaving Lelouch to shake his head in resignation. Just then, his scroll chimed with a message alert. Taking a quick peek, he sighed, "What did you do this time Rolo?" He typed out a quick response, put the device down and continued reading, fiddling with his necklace in the meanwhile.

That was until a familiar girl who smelled of cats pulled out a seat opposite him and sat down. "Hello, Blake. How can I help you this fine morning?" he asked, putting a pause to his music and sliding off his headphones.

"...How did you know it was me?"

"Don't take this the wrong way but I can smell you," he explained matter-of-factly, putting his book down and tapping his nose.

"Wait, what?" she blushed, taken aback.

"You do know I'm a Faunus, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course! It's just that your appearance-"

"-doesn't really say so, right?" he finished.

"Yeah," she admitted.

"Don't worry," he lightly chuckled. "You're not the first. Most people assume that Rolo's adopted or a half-sibling but I assure you," he flexed the fingers on his upheld hand, "that there is a one hundred percent blood relation."

His fingers curled and five shining claws of midnight black unleashed themselves for emphasis, making Blake jump in her seat and scrunch her nose.

"So," he continued, retracting his extrahumanly feature, "what can I do you for?"

"I had a few questions that I hoped you could answer. It's about our conversation at the diner. On monday."

"About Britannia, I assume?" he asked, leaning forward.

"Yes."

"Well, by all means," he said, steepling his fingers, "ask away."

"So, about the Faunus' standing in your homeland. How good do they have it?"

"To be frank? Probably better than the other kingdoms," he answered. "Of course, we were second class citizens for most of history until around the 70th reign. That was when we started to move up."

"Why?"

"Something about a plague, if I remember it correctly. That and a small civil war."

"Civil war?"

"Oh yeah, we had a lot of those. How do you think the whole 'warmongering barbarian' thing came along?"

"... The naval raids?" she suggested.

"Oh yeah. Right. _Touché_."

"What about the nobility?" she asked.

"Second verse, same as the first. A fairly equal dispersion between human and faunuskind in the noble classes. Heck, the Royal Family's been a Faunus one for like, the past 10 to 15 kings if I recall correctly. Granted, not everyone was willing to accept the new race of the monarchy."

"So, what happened?" pressed Blake, fascinated in her kind's history in alien lands.

"There was a bloody rebellion," he answered, fiddling with his necklace. "Luckily, there was enough support for the crown for them to be crushed soundly. Oddly enough, that was where the Duchy system was first properly established. Also helped that most of the seceding lands were hit by the plague like really badly."

"Fascinating!"

"I'm sure it is. I'm glad to see that you're interested." He checked his scroll. "Welp, I have to be somewhere soon. Anything else?"

"Nothing major, no."

"Right then. But I have a feeling that you'll have something soon enough. So!" He stood up and stacked his texts in his arms. "Would you kindly follow me for a moment?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure," Blake said as she trailed behind him. Dropping off the books in a nearby basket, they walked further into the maze of shelves. "So what're you looking for?"

"Something to sate your interest," he answered as they strode by books of all size and content. Fishing out his silver coin from his pocket, he began to absentmindedly flip it as they walked.

"Say, what do you think about the White Fang?"

"The who?" he asked, turning his head to look at her.

"The White Fang. You know, radical faunus rights turned supremacy group?"

"Ohhh, them. Yeah, we've heard about them before. Not really much of a concern for us really. With the isolation and all that stuff." he answered. "Why?"

"Just wanted your opinion. From one faunus to another."

"Well, personally, I don't think highly of them," he voiced out. "The intention was good, but their execution is just terrible. Too many innocents put in the crossfire. They're no more effective than, I don't know, a bunch of whiny teens with guns."

"That's ironic," she giggled.

"On so many levels," he agreed. As they continued to journey, the books began to become fewer and fewer. "It should be around… here!" He stopped by a section of the library that was empty. Pulling a ladder that was built into the shelves, he yanked it over and scaled it, pulling out a green hardback book with pictures of various moments printed on its cover. "Here we go," he said to himself in satisfaction. He slid down the ladder and handed her the book. "Here. This should tell you a fair amount."

She took a look at the cover. "A History of Civil Rights in the Empire of Britannia, By Dr Alexander Clyde." She looked up at him. "Thank you," she said with gratitude. "Hey quick question," she started, catching his interest.

"Go ahead," he nodded.

"Why are you so polite? Like, all the time?"

"Odd question but I'll take it. May I know why though?" he asked in turn, leaning against a shelf.

"Just curious. No one's really been _this_ polite consistently."

"Well, growing up around nobility and gentry must have rubbed off on me, I suppose," he shrugged.

"Nobility?"

"Oh, you don't know? Gino's the son of the Viscount Weinberg and the Baroness Dunbroch," he stated factually.

"Gino?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"Him?"

"Mhm."

"But he acts nothing like the part!" she whisper-shouted.

"I know he _usually_ doesn't," snorted Lelouch. "_But_, when the situation calls for it the change is so drastic you'd think he has a split personality. So yeah, growing up with him did influence me. That and the whole 'Paladins are supposed to be gallant knights' thing."

"Care to elaborate?" asked Blake, intrigued.

"It dates back to something about how the Paladins were originally meant to defend the people and comprised the heirs of the gentry. So, in that vein, we're kind of expected to carry ourselves in a genteel manner with everyone. Though it's not so strict these days," he explained.

"I see."

"But, personally, I just find that it's best to be decent and polite to everyone you meet."

"It's only proper," she summarised, nodding her head. "I can respect that." Her scroll chimed in her pocket and she fished it out. "Ugh. Really Yang?" she huffed.

"Nice talking to you Lelouch," Blake said, pocketing the device. "But I need to go. Team RWBY things."

"By all means, go to your business. I won't hold you," he responded. "Come to me if you need any more questions answered."

"I will," she smiled. "It was a good talk. See you around!" With that, she made her way out of the library.

'Good talk,' mused Lelouch. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of grey that hastily retreated from his view. 'I swear that guy has been tailing me for the past few hours,' he glowered to himself. 'I might need to deal with him soon enough.' With those thoughts, he pushed off the bookshelf and strolled to the entrance. Picking out a book on the way, he continued to think to himself. 'The Grimm have been delivered. The knightmare displays are nearly ready,' he said to himself as he mentally ticked off a checklist. 'Now all that's left is to-'

As exemplary a squire he was, even Lelouch had his moments of weakness and vulnerability. One such lapse was this moment, when he rounded a corner. Such was his focus on his tasks that he was distracted from what was in front of him until it was too late.

"Eep!"

"Oof!"

*CRASH*!

An inordinate amount of books fell and clattered onto his head as he tripped, stumbled and fell forward. His arms shooting out, they slammed onto the carpeted floor and held steady even as the back of his head fell prey to texts, hard or paperback.

"Ouch~," he winced to himself, bemoaning the dull soreness of his skull. As he blinked the pain away, he took stock of the situation. And cursed to himself for getting himself into this position.

Because between his splayed out hands, holding a lone book in her hands and close to her chest, was a girl with startled eyes staring back at him. It did not help that one of his knees had slid up between her thighs. 'Thank Durin Milly isn't here!'

"I'm so sorry!" he quickly apologised as he got to his feet. "Here," he said, extending a hand, "let me help you up."

She took his hand and he pulled the student to her feet. As she brushed aside a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her face, he made quick work, gathering the scattered book.

"Here you are, Miss. Your books," he said, picking the last one off the floor and onto a pile in his hands. "Are you planning to borrow all these?"

The dumbstruck student, who he now noticed was dressed in a black uniform and about his age, gave a muted "yes" as she smoothed out her outfit.

"Then allow me to help you carry them. Please," he offered, one hand shifting to support the weight of the stack as the other stretched out, expectant of the last book that she held. Once he received it, he plopped it onto the top of the pile, readjusted his grip, and walked behind the girl as she strode ahead.

'Nice legs,' he mentally appraised, though he wouldn't be caught dead saying that aloud. They made a quick stop by the counter, let the librarian scan out the books, and off they went.

"I assume we're headed to the dorms?" he piped up. The girl looked back and gave the briefest of nods before striding on ahead, making him speed up as well. 'Please don't let me run into the guys. I'd never hear the end of this!' he begged as they crossed the courtyard.

He could imagine the pictures and gossip already. "The cool and collected Vice President is taking orders from a foreign student?!", "Who is this mysterious woman?!", "What a SIMP!"

He shook himself away from the rampant imaginations as they climbed up the stairs to the third level. They walked down the hallway in an uncomfortable silence before stopping at a door. 'Well, that's a coincidence,' casually noted Lelouch. 'It's directly below ours.'

"Here we are," the girl announced, stopping him in his tracks. "I'll take it from here," she said, hold her hands out.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Affirmative," she plainly said.

"Very well then," he acknowledged, passing the pile of tomes over. "Carefully now," he cautioned, seeing her struggle under the weight a bit. "Again, I must apologise for bumping into you back there," he said, rubbing his head sheepishly, "I was distracted and didn't see you."

"It's alright," she assured. "But, thank you for the help. You didn't have to make the offer. It's very much appreciated," she grunted, shifting to hold the stack better.

"Think nothing of it. My honour would have me do nothing less," he admitted.

"Now that you mentioned it," she began, "I need you to help me unlock the door. The scroll's in my right pocket." She shifted her hip toward him for easier access.

"Sure. Don't mind me," he murmured as his hand reached for the device. A few moments of uncomfortable silence later, he fished it out and tapped it against the lock. "There you go," he said in satisfaction, holding the door for her.

"My, what a _gentleman_," she purred as she strutted in. Setting the texts down on a nearby desk, she turned back to him. "You know? All this help for me and I never got to know your name."

"Ah! Fair maiden," he enunciated dramatically, getting her to quirk her lips, 'Where are my manners? Lelouch Lamperouge, Monastery College, at your service."

"Pleased to meet you," she greeted.

"Might I know the fair lady's name?" he asked, leaning against the door. Now that they were standing still, he got a better look at this new acquaintance. Her uniform was mainly black with silver piping and had a white armband on her upper left arm and a plaid skirt of the same colour. She wore loafers with black socks on legs that seemed to go for a mile, contrasting greatly with creamy white skin. Two warm and confident pools of honey stared back into sharp violet and her hair was the colour of charcoal.

'Smells of it too,' noted Lelouch, his faunus senses picking up the faint scent.

"Alright fine," she accepted as she stuck a hand out. Way ahead of schedule but no matter. "You can call me-"

* * *

**-The Three Brothers-**

"-Don Monty! And we will drive this whelp out of our town!"

Applause broke out around the massive banquet table as the rotund mobster raised a glass, bringing the others to follow suit. After his early morning rage, he had called his cadres from all over Vale to meet up at Macquar's club, The Three Brothers.

A shame about that boy. He had such a bright future ahead but now he sat in jail, awaiting trial. Oum, it was so annoying to rig the judge and jury these days! But that was a concern for later. Right now, he was focused on the gathering of his men.

With a proud smile, he drank from the goblet and sat back down, placing a napkin on his lap as waiters brought the food out. "Good speech boss," praised Guido. The Don nodded in acknowledgement as a fatty rack of lamb was placed in front of him. Pudgy fingers grasped bone and jowls wobbled as he tore apart the meat with gluttonous drive. "It's all passion, Guido," the Don offhandedly said.

"Nonetheless, it was very rousing. I'm sure that we'll flush out the MF by the month," spoke a high-ranking lieutenant of the Pioneers. This was Winston Janus, longtime member of the Alpinista family and trusted colleague. He headed and directed the family's hit squads.

"Any news on your front Winston?" asked the Don as he took a swig of wine. The grey and wrinkling veteran mobster shook his head. "Unfortunately, no major leads yet my friend," admitted Winston as he cut into his meat. "But have faith, they only revealed themselves yesterday. Give it time. Their arrogance will be their downfall."

"Damn right it will be!" chimed in another lieutenant who overheard the conversation. "Hear hear!"

**"HEAR HEAR!"**

With a hearty laugh, the room descended into lively chatter and utensils scraping fine ceramic. Turning to Winston, Monty wiped his mouth and asked, "So Winston, how soon can we send your boys out to hunt these nuisances down?"

"Within three days," Winston confidently assured. "There's very little places they can hide. Even if they dig in outside Vale, say at Dune or Dell, we **will** find them."

"Good. Very good," nodded the Don happily. He grasped his wine glass and took another sip, relishing its flavour. But as he put it down, he felt a tingle and numbness touch his arm. The stem slipped from his glass and toppled onto the stark white tablecloth, spilling dark red liquid on the sheet.

"Dammit," grimaced Monty. "Guido! If you will."

The bodyguard snapped his fingers and a waiter came forth, filling the Don's glass once more. "Everything alright Don?" asked his aide.

"Bah! I'm fine!" waved off his boss. "Fingers must be oily," he said as he wiped them.

"Well I assure you that those fingers will be digging into Zero's eyes soon enough," chuckled Winston as he stabbed at a morsel. "Maybe even get at Torchwick afterwards."

"Oh, you know it!" laughed the Alpinista head. Suddenly, his laughter turned to violent hacks as he started coughing. "Don! What's wrong?" asked Guido, rubbing his boss's back and handing him a cool glass of water. As his coughing subsided, Monty nodded in thanks and drank, relieving himself of the pain.

"Looks like you need to quit smoking Monty," quipped Winston. "Maybe you're right, Winnie. Maybe you're right," admitted the Don. As the lunch went on, Guido started to feel hot, with sweat beginning to form on his brow. As he pulled his collar to ventilate, his boss took notice.

"What's wrong Guido?" he asked.

" 'S nothin boss," he assured, fanning himself. "Feeling a little warm, that's all."

"Are you sure, boy? I don't feel a thing," replied Winston, putting a hand to his head.

"Come to think of it, I'm feeling something too," the Don spoke up. "Must be the summer climate. Guido! Tell the staff to turn up the AC will you?" As Guido relayed his orders, the Don began to feel uneasy, even as cold air began to waft in. And Winston was of the same mind too.

'Something ain't right.'

* * *

**-Unknown Location-**

A scroll trilled out its ringtone amid the Valian evening. Its owner, lounging on a plush couch with a glass of brandy, answered the call as he watched the sunset, the nearby TV blaring out the news, the sky splattered with brilliant colours that reminded him of home. Of his little sister. "Yes?" he asked.

"Alright," he nodded, setting the glass down on a table and taking a notepad.

"Uh huh."

"Yeah."

"It's been moved right?"

"Good."

"Well done. Is everything in place?"

"Perfect."

"I'll take care of my end. Make sure he gets here safely."

"That will be all."

He ended the call and took a sip, scratching his ear. "The boys have done their part,' he muttered, groaning as he stood up. "Time to do mine."

* * *

**-Unknown Hotel, Vale Upper Class District-**

The last few days were strange for Oak. Monday saw him arrested, receive some info from a weird Atlas chick and later from the nurse delivering his meal, saying what boiled down to "Sit tight. We'll get you out."

Then, on Wednesday night, he was escorted by a buncha those shiny and new Atlas Knights onto a bullhead, sent up to those airships and then was shoved into one of those spiffy new Atlas aircrafts. Mantas, they were called. Supposedly, he was headed for Ladon Supermax prison, located in the frigid Atlas mountains. Definitely not a place he'd want to go. So imagine his surprise, and relief, when the pilot deactivated the knights, set the aircraft to autopilot, gave him a quick briefing and unlatched his cuffs. Meanwhile, the copilot pulled out three clothed dummies that looked nothing like them, strapped said decoys into their chairs before making a call on a scroll.

* * *

**-Flashback, Wednesday Night-**

_Oak watched in fascination as the two pilots, who were obviously not Atlesians, set about performing various tasks about the Manta with machine-like efficiency._

_"What the hell are you guys doing?" he wondered aloud as he rubbed his free wrists. One of them turned to him and smiled as he took off his pilot's helmet and attached a little button to its comms set before setting it on his replacement. "Wait and see, mon ami." Then he helped the former White Fang Lieutenant out of his seat and into a wheelchair._

_"What?" His question fell on deaf ears as the loud whine of another aircraft blocked out all noise. Opening the starboard door, the pilot waved over to their neighbour while his copilot undid gestured for Oak to get up and follow him to the door, which now had a gangway attached to it from the fellow flyer._

_"Just go across! We'll be right behind you!"_

_With a tentative nod, Oak slowly wheeled his way onto the gangway, trying his best to ignore the dizzying height and the roaring winds that whipped at his hair and prisoner jumpsuit, his hands gripping tightly onto the handrails as they passed over Vale's northern sea. Heaving a sigh of relief as he stepped onto the unknown aircraft, he was ushered to a space by what looked to be a medic from whatever military she was from, though he had his suspicions already. He was given a blanket, a nice hot drink in a mug and a muffin. With a content smile, he relaxed into his surprisingly comfortable wheelchair._

_As the shuttle's doors hissed shut and the gangway retracted, one of the pilots pulled out his scroll and looked to his partner._

_"Est-ce que tout est prêt?"_

_"Ouais. On est bon d'aller." nodded his copilot as he pulled out his own. As he said so, Oak could feel the aircraft bank right, away from the still flying Manta._

_Then he jumped in his seat when he heard the loud blast of an explosion a minute later. Wheeling to the door to look out the window, he spotted the Atlesian craft now smoking from its wing turbines, plummeting to the earth._

_"Mayday! Mayday!" cried the pilot. "This is Manta 1-2! We're being attacked by Grimm. Repeat. We're being attacked by Grimm! Engaging evasive manoeuvres!"_

_The scroll crackled with the comms of the Atlesian air control. "Manta 1-2 this is air command. We read you! Reinforcements are incoming. Hang tight!"_

_"I can't shake em!" huffed the pilot with faux panic. He turned to his copilot and gave a thumbs up. With a silent nod, his partner pressed a button on his scroll, resulting in another explosion as more flames broke out on the Manta's hull._

_"Hang in there soldier!" ordered the air controller. "Just a little longer! What's your status?"_

_"Our turbines are down. Fuselage is compromised. We need to make an emergency landing!" He then gave his copilot another nod. Though he could not hear what was happening, Oak guessed that something major just occurred in the Manta. Probably had a warning siren going off if the pilot's change in tone was anything._

_"We're leaking fuel! Damn Nevermores hit the tank! We're going down!" On cue, the copilot pressed another command on his scroll and Oak eyes widened as the Manta began to drop towards the sea, trailing fuel, fire and smoke._

_"We're going down! We're going down! Moving for emergency landi-"_

_The copilot tapped one final command in his scroll and the Manta transport erupted into a magnificent ball of flame, pieces of its hull thrown all over and plummeting into the water, leaving it with white pockmarks of splashes. Meanwhile, Oak watched on in morbid fascination._

_With a nod, the two disconnected their scrolls and took a deep breath. Then the sound of slow applause brought the attention of the three to a man that entered the passenger bay, a senior ranking one from the sharp salutes the pilots gave._

_"Impeccable performance gentlemen," he praised. "Go take a rest." With a short cry of "sir!", the two exited the room, leaving Oak alone with him and the medic, who wheeled in a tank with a mask attached._

_"It's good to meet you, Mr Nago," greeted the man, extending a hand. "I hope we will work together splendidly in the future."_

_Dumbfounded, Oak could do little but shake hands with the man who now stood over him. Smiling, the elder gentleman withdrew it. "I'm sure you want answers and trust me when I say your questions will all be answered in due time. But for now, I must ask that you rest so that we may help you recover quickly. Is that alright?"_

_While the woman, who was definitely not a medic at this point, prepares the gas tank, he could only nod dumbly at the suggestion, seeing no other choice._

_"Thank you for your cooperation," smiled the man. As he turned around and exited the way he came, the lady (nurse? anaesthetist?) came into centre view._

_"Hello Mr Nago," she politely greeted as she fitted the mask over his face. "I'm going to administer the ether now. Are you ready?"_

_"I guess I am?" he answered uncertainly, having finally found his voice. What else could he do?_

_"Alright then," she smiled. "I'm going to count down from ten. I just need you to close your eyes and focus on the numbers."_

_She reached over to the valve and released it, the hiss of gas hosing through the tube and into the mask filling his ears._

_"10. 9. 8."_

_He slowly closed his eyes, focusing on the lull of the countdown._

_"7. 6. 5."_

_His vision began to blur and small reddish-black spots began to appear in his view. Time seemed to slow as the dots spun and gradually grew bigger, clouding his vision as he drifted off._

_"4. 3…"_

_He never finished the countdown._

* * *

**-Flashback End, Present-**

When he came to, he had found himself in a cushy hotel room in the heart of Vale's upper-class area, near the seaside from the distant cries of seagulls. Rising from a bed he could not afford, he noticed that his orange prisoner's jumpsuit was gone and replaced by a simple pair of boxers and t-shirt, his broken leg held in an odd-looking brace that kinda itched but somehow let him move, his jaw free of any pain or discomfort and his tusks shaved down, little more than nubs flush to his jawline. That last bit was odd but he was in no position to question that part. Besides, when he was Adam's lieutenant he needed them short for his mask anyway. Across from him, on the TV console was a neatly folded set of clothes, a keycard and a little paper card. Taking a drink from a nearby glass of water, he enjoyed the relief it brought to his parched throat. Plodding groggily on the carpet, he picked up the card and read.

'Wear these clothes and head up to the executive suite?' he read. With a shrug of his shoulders, he picked them up and moved to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, he stepped out, all freshened up and in a white shirt and black pants. Taking a moment to look himself in the mirror, he smoothened out his outfit and did his cuffs as he took stock of his situation. In any other circumstance, he would've followed what he learnt in the WF and bail. But with the recent events, he threw caution to the wind. Slipping on the black socks and blazer left for him at the entrance, he put on the shoes and stepped out into the carpeted hallway.

Entering the elevator, he swiped his card on the reader and pressed the button labelled "ES".

As the lift ascended with a gentle rumble, he tugged at his collar and tapped his foot in suppressed anxiety. Who saved him? His hand went up to scratch at the stumps of his tusks as his mind wandered.

Who the hell are these people? Britannians? Seems to be with what they spoke last night. But what do they want me for? Why do these clothes fit so well? Did they measure me in my sleep? Why am I here? How did they-

The soft chime of a bell and the gentle rumble of opening doors brought him back to the present. Stepping out of the lift, he entered a quaint corridor, neatly decorated with blue carpeting, cream coloured walls and a large set of double doors at the end. With a gulp, he slowly approached them, his shoes barely making a sound on the carpet, even with the slight limp he had. He raised a fist and knocked on the lovingly varnished door, taking note of how the only extravagance present were the golden door handles and a crowning just below his eye level. Probably for a peephole.

'Cherry wood. Very nice,' he offhandedly appraised. Just as he was about to run his hand on it, the door opened with a soft *clunk* and out popped a head of red hair. Half a face peered out with a calculating blue eye, scanning Oak's figure. "Can I help you?"

"Um, yeah." Oak reached into a pocket and pulled out the card from before, I was told to come up here?"

"It's alright. We're expecting him," called a familiar voice from within. "You sure about it boss?" asked the redhead as he turned to face him.

"Let him in, boy. He won't attack us," reassured the voice. With an unintelligible mutter, the redhead took a step to the side and let the door swing open, allowing Oak to sheepishly walk in.

The suite was breathtaking. Overlooking the skyline of Vale, it was an impressive sight to behold from the panoramic windows that faced him. The room he entered was expansive, definitely bigger than the one he woke up in, and had a pair of black leather couches facing each other with a quartet of plush armchairs, all surrounding a glass coffee table atop a bearskin rug. He briefly took notice of the two doorways that led out to other rooms on either side. One was probably the master bedroom while the other probably led to other bedrooms or perhaps a kitchen. Not that he would know. He didn't spend time in places like this often.

But his eye was drawn to the welcoming face that sat on one of the couches. Completely relaxed, a middle-aged, red-haired man looked up at Oak with a warm smile. One arm draped over the backrest, he wore a simple navy blue suit and white shirt, its collar unbuttoned. The one from last night! His faded auburn hair was slicked back neat and his green eyes shone with a hint of mischief, despite the crow's feet that began to form there. "Ah! Mr Nago! So happy you could join us!' he greeted as he stood up. He vigorously snatched and shook Oak's hand, not caring in the slightest at his guest's discomfort. "Please, sit!" he gestured to the opposing sofa.

With a muted thanks, Oak eased himself onto the seat, relishing to take some pressure off his leg. "Nathan, close the door, would you? And don't be so tense! Mr Nago here is our guest!"

"Yes, milord," the now-named Nathan replied. He gently closed the door with a soft *click* and a louder *click*, much to Oak's surprise. His head whipped around and he spied the aforementioned man tucking _something_ into the back of his pants. 'No prizes for guessing what that is,' he dryly thought.

"So, Mr Nago," began the man. Turning back to face him, Oak was slightly offput by his host's forthcomingness. "I trust your recovery has no problems so far?"

"Yeah, about that. Who are you people? What do you want with me? What is this thing?" he asked, raising and lowering his encased leg.

"All in good time, my friend. But first, a drink!" Nathaniel stepped into the room, carrying a tray with a pair of cups and a teapot in the middle. Setting it on the table, he stepped out of the room, leaving the two to their privacy. "So, how do you like your coffee?"

"I think I'll pass, thanks," answered Oak, still unnerved.

"Still trying to adjust eh? That's understandable," nodded the man, setting to work on his own cup. 'Oum that's a lot of sugar,' grimaced Oak as he watched. Six cubes?

"So, where to begin…" mused the man after taking a sip. "Maybe who we are? He is clearly uncomfortable," chimed in Nathaniel as he set a large brown envelope on the table. "My apologies forgot to bring this in earlier. By your leave," he bowed as he exited.

"Good idea Nate!" called out the man. Turning back to Oak, he gave an apologetic grin. "I must apologise for not introducing myself sooner, Mr Nago! You can call me Sig. Sig Walken. A pleasure to meet you."

"Well, it's a start," Oak shrugged. "But still, who are you? What do you want?"

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you everything yet," answered Sig. "But for a start, I believe you already met Nathaniel. That second question, however, relates to who **you** are."

He reached over to the envelope and opened the tab, pulling out a document. "Ochre 'Oak' Nago," he dictated, catching his guest's attention. "Height: 210 metres. Weight: 84 kg. Hair colour: Black. Eye colour: Green. Affiliated with the White Fang's Vale Branch. Charged with Terrorism, Assault, Battery, Murder and Destruction of private property among many others. Boar Faunus. Worked in a lumbering and carpentry company prior to radicalisation. Family of six. Is this you?"

"And what if it is?" growled Oak.

"Easy there. I'm not gonna turn you in. Besides, even if I did, the police would have a hard time believing me."

"Why?" Oak asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Status: Deceased," Sig said plainly.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"As I said, you're officially dead." As he said this, Sig pulled out a newspaper clipping from the packet and gave it to Oak. His eyes widened as he read the headline and had a shocking realization. 'Wait. It's Friday?! I was out for a whole day?!' Oak said to himself in disbelief.

**PRISONER TRANSPORT DISASTER: ATLESIAN SHUTTLE FOUND OFF NORTHERN COAST, 3 DEAD. GENERAL BLAMES GRIMM.**

"All that was your doing?"

"Yep!" Sig proudly said, "Dain and Guy really pulled it off!"

"But why?"

"To put simply? We need your intel," his host bluntly replied, standing up. "You see, the organisation I'm a part of is looking to enter Vale's 'markets'. Only problem is that the WF, your former comrades, are a massive obstacle that we need to 'get around'.' Sig stood up and began to pace. "That is where you come in. Am I right to say that you harbour little sentiments for them?"

"Yes," said Oak in bubbling excitement. Unfortunately, he felt an ache in his calf at that moment, and he winced in pain. It did not go unnoticed.

"That is exactly why we want your help, my friend. Your former position as lieutenant is one that holds great value to our endeavours. Is everything alright with your leg?" asked Sig, sitting back down. "It's fine. It could be way worse," replied the boar faunus. "While on that topic though, what exactly is this?" He gestured to the brace, a navy blue feature with a thin, faintly glowing pink strip running down the sides. He lifted his leg up and down. "I don't feel any pain."

"A brilliant advancement in medical technology, courtesy of my homeland," Sig pointed out, unconsciously rubbing his left knee. "That little thing holds your leg together and speeds up the recovery. It's powered by your aura and boosts your healing with a little sakuradite-painkiller cocktail. The latter is obvious but the former, in the right dosage, can substantially enhance your aura's healing functions. Administered via tiny needles throughout the frame, what would take months now takes weeks. We call it the PegLeg. Impressive isn't it?"

"It is," agreed Oak in amazement. "Wait, your homeland?"

"I'm sure you can guess where we are from at this point," smiled Sig.

"What does Britannia want with me?" asked Oak. "I'm just a lieutenant."

"As I said before, Oak. Your intel and insights. And don't worry about any further betrayal. I give you my word that we will protect you. Besides." Sig flexed his fingers and claws popped out. "You're among kin."

"That's a relief. But not enough to convince me. What else?" demanded Oak. He felt a little bad for abusing the hospitality. But with his experience in the WF, he was more than inclined to be suspicious of anything blatantly well-wishing.

"Very well. How about we protect your family too?" offered Sig. "We can get them out of Atlas. Away from the SDC who undoubtedly want payback after learning who you were."

"That would be better, yes," nodded Oak, his eyes sharp and serious. "So I take it you want to join us?"

"So long as they are safe, I'll do it," Oak said with finality. Sig grinned and extended his hand. "And I personally guarantee that they will be." Oak took his hand in a firm grasp and the men sealed their pact.

"Now then, let's get down to business," continued Sig. "Any questions before we begin?"

"Just one. Can I have a coffee?"

* * *

**-Beacon, Team LRGS Dorm-**

_"Quick! This way!"_

_"Wait for me!"_

_"Come here!"_

_"Get away from her!"_

_"Don't leave me!"_

_"NO!"_

Lelouch awoke with a start, shooting up from the mattress. His chest glistening, his startled breaths gradually eased and deepened. His hand retreated from the bedpost, where he kept Treachery hanging. 'Another one?' he asked himself, eyes darting around the room for nonexistent threats. 'Why now?'

'What time is it?' he groggily wondered as he fumbled for his charging scroll. When its screen awoke, his eyes were assaulted by the white light of a screen on max brightness, making him hiss in annoyance and drop the scroll, letting it clatter on the phone. "For fucks' sake," he quietly groaned. "Too early for this shit." He blinked the dots from his eyes and when his vision cleared, he unlocked his scroll, _well away_ from squinting eyes.

'Oum, it's three a.m ?!' He groaned to himself, letting his head fall back onto the pillow with a hollow *thump*. 'No way am I sleeping again now,' he ruefully thought to himself. With an annoyed grunt, he forced himself out of bed, stumbling over to the bathroom with a change of clothes. He stepped into the shower and blasted himself with icy water, jolting himself awake.

He quickly brushed his teeth, gargled his mouth and spit. As he rose back to full height, his eyes drifted to his chain. Picking it up, he gazed at it sentimentally. "I'll avenge you. One day," he swore.

He swiftly and quietly made his way to the door, grabbing Oath along the way and dressed in gray sweatpants and a black tanktop. "Lelouch?"

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to see his little brother, holding a plushie under his arm. "Sorry, Rolo. Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah," his younger brother yawned, rubbing his eye. "Another nightmare?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rolo asked, concerned. "It's been going on for some time, hasn't it? Have they been getting worse?"

"They have but meditation has helped with them. I'm alright," reassured Lelouch.

"Whatever you say. Just remember that I'm here for you. All of us are," reminded Rolo. A strong and capable leader, Lelouch was. But a poor, tortured and fragmented soul was he also. One who saw too much for his age.

"Oh little brother," sighed Lelouch, ruffling Rolo's hair affectionately. "What would I do without you?"

"Something stupid or suicidal probably," shrugged the younger Lamperouge. The two shared a morbid chuckle at that.

"Well, don't worry about me," said Lelouch, opening the door. "I'm just gonna go on my own. Go get some sleep."

"I will," nodded Rolo as he watched his brother step through the door. "See you later in class."

"You too," returned Lelouch. He closed the door softly with a click and Rolo trudged back to bed, collapsing onto the white mattress and drifting off.

* * *

**-Beacon, sparring arena-**

The sharp *clangs* of metal on metal echoed throughout the room. The stands were filled with students from the four corners of the globe, decked out in their battle gear as they watched two of the peers do battle on the stage below.

Russel Thrush ran in for another flanking manoeuvre, Shortwings slicing through the air as he dodged another grenade before closing in, eyes focused on the opponent in front of him.

Nora Valkyrie. The ditzy redhead of Team JNPR. Ever since the Forever Fall incident, Cardin and the rest of team CRDN had stayed well away from JNPR, out of fear and some odd measure of respect. Of course, some, like Russel, found it a bit hard to swallow his pride and so gave it their best to defeat or prove themselves better over JNPR members whenever they could. Like now.

With a cry, he leapt over a low swing from Magnhild, Nora's monster of weapon with questionable ammo supply. Seriously, where does she keep her grenades?!

He bore down with his twin daggers, smirking as he landed small cuts on the pink girl. Jumping back just as she took a swing at him, he took a moment to compose himself and look at the scoreboard. His aura bar was in the orange, just above Nora's, which was dangerously close to red. 'Time to finish this!'

Switching Shortwings to lightning dust, he charged straight at the hammer maiden in what would be suicidal. But she was predictable and he could use that. He slid under a wide, shoulder level swing and got under her guard. "You're mine!" he declared. He sprang up and thrust both blades forward, pulsing his aura through them, lacing their edges with arcing electricity as they drove into her gut.

'YES!'

But to his dismay, he heard no applause. Instead, a dark chuckle emanated from his opponent, Her eyes glowed with power and her muscles seemed to bulge and swell. He had no time to react as her forehead came rocketing down to his nose, sending him stumbling back in a daze.

"You're mine!" he heard her joyfully exclaim. He saw her take a big swing up and then he felt weightless, his breath driven out of his body. As he began to flop down, another swing came baring from the side. Any other would have been terrified. But Russel had already resigned himself.

'Not again.'

The face of the hammer _whammed_ into his midsection, sending him out of the arena and into the wall, exhausted and nearly unconscious. "Winner! Nora Valkyrie!" Team JNPR and Team RWBY cheered for their friend, who bounced up the stairs and happily sat back down with her teammates. "Mr Thrush," Glynda started. "Good work getting into her guard. I suggest, however, that you work on your reflexes and defence more. It would also do you good to understand your opponent. Understood?" she asked as she helped him up.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now go see the nurse and get patched up. Dove, accompany him." As the two walked out of the class, Goodwitch turned to look up at Nora. "Miss Valkyrie! Well done on your victory! Perhaps work on your agility next time. You took too many hits to be acceptable in the field.'

"You got it teach!" the redhead crowed from up top.

With a nod, Glynda turned to face her class as a whole. "Now class we have time for one more bout. Any more volunteers?"

Emerald half-expected for Mercury to challenge another strong contestant. So imagine her surprise when she heard no proclamation. Looking to her left, she saw a vacant seat. Then her scroll pinged and she hastily took it out.

"Where are you!?" she typed.

"I'm in the toilet!"

"Hurry up! We need to scout the others!"

"Don't rush me!"

"Is something the matter, Miss Sustrai?"

"No ma'am!" Emerald answered, snapping to attention. With a suspicious nod, Glynda then announced, "Very well. Then I'll pick." She then pressed a button on her scroll and the left-hand portrait began to spin, running through the cohort of students present with a simulated sound of a ticker.

"Never mind you're too late."

The roller began to slow, each tick becoming longer than the last until it settled on its choice with a *DING*.

A student with black hair and purple eyes.

"Lelouch Lamperouge!"

"You got it, Professor!" He stood tall, walked down to the guardrail and hopped over, landing below with nary a sound. 'Impressive for one wearing boots and armour,' Glynda quietly noted. As he stepped onto the stage, she asked, "Anyone you wish to challenge?"

"I'm fine with anyone," he calmly said. With a nod, she turned back to her scroll and pressed the button again, the randomizer spinning to determine his opponent. The cohort waited with bated breath. They had never seen a Britannian fight _with weapons_ before. Ruby could hardly contain herself, looking forward to seeing the weapons Lelouch told her about yesterday. And it grew larger and harder to contain as the ticker slowed. "You know what's funny?" asked Blake, causing heads to turn. "What?" asked Weiss.

"I think I know what type of Faunus Lelouch is now," she declared. "You sure?" asked Yang. "I would've thought that Rolo was adopted or something."

"No," Blake shook her head. "He showed me his claws yesterday when I asked him about it."

"Cool!" excitedly praised Ruby. "Do you happen to know what Rolo's is?"

"No idea yet, unfortunately," the faunus conceded. "Maybe you could ask him."

"Enough with the hypotheticals!" jumped in Yang. "What species is he?"

"Well from what I could tell, he kind of smelled like my dad..."

"Smelled?!"

"Ew, your dad?!"

"Blake is there something you're not telling us?"

"Oh hush, all of you!" she hissed, flustered by the implications. "I _meant_ that my dad has a similar smell so I'm deducing that Lelouch's species is somewhere close to that."

"So what is your dad?"

"He's a panther."

"Okay, so it's a big cat."

Meanwhile, down below, Lelouch felt oddly unsettled seeing Team RWBY whisper among themselves conspiratorily and occasionally glance over to them. 'Please, no more fangirls,' he prayed to whoever was listening.

"With the way he carries himself, some of the smaller ones like the leopard or the jaguar can be ruled out," began Blake.

The roller slowed from a blazing blur to a corrigible pace, each face no longer mashed into a flurry.

"He doesn't bear stripes so a tiger is unlikely," she continued

The roller slowed even more.

"And with how he carries himself," she considered, "it's almost as if he's-"

Eventually, it became a crawl.

"The second fighter is…" announced Glynda Goodwitch.

"-_A Lion."_

*DING*!

* * *

_"Oh how I wish I had done more during the war, saved more lives. If I could turn back time, I would have sheltered more children, to hear them call me aunt Aggy just one more time..."_

_-Major Specialist Agatha Fria on the Nihon War_

* * *

Student Profile:

Name:

Lelouch Lamperouge

School:

Monastery College

\- Ashford Academy (Britannian-Nihon Branch)

\- La Citadelle Harakoni (Elysia/Main Branch)

Aliases:

\- Overachiever

\- [REDACTED]

\- [REDACTED]

\- [REDACTED]

\- Big Black [CENSORED]

\- Edgelord McGee

\- Golden Boy

\- Purple Pansy

\- The Black Knight

\- Boss

\- Chief

expand list...

Height: 1.88m

Weight: 74 kg

Species: Faunus (Lion)

Traits: Black hair, Purple eyes, Claws

Status:

\- Trainee Paladin (Squire, 1st year)

\- Major (Upon graduation, on account of previous service and training)

\- [REDACTED]

\- [REDACTED]

Semblance: Obedience

Weapons:

\- Oath (hand-and-a-half [bastard] sword/ rifle hybrid)

\- Length: 1.2m (Blade form), 0.8m (AR form), 1.0m (DMR form)

\- Caliber: 7.62mm

\- Gravity dust-assisted propulsion

\- Aura locked

\- Treachery (dust dagger/ longsword hybrid)

\- Length: 0.7m (Dagger form), 1.0m (Blade form)

\- Dust loadout: Fire, Lightning, Ice, Stone, Gravity

\- Aura locked

\- Oathbreaker [REDACTED] [REDACTED]

\- [REDACTED]

\- [REDACTED]

\- Aura locked

Certifications:

\- High School Diploma

\- Squire's Bond

\- Marksman

\- Knights' Vow

\- Droptrooper wings

\- Officer's Commission

\- Tropical Survival

\- Desert Survival

\- Forest Survival

\- Tundra Survival

\- Fitness Gold

\- Class 3 Driving

\- Class 2 Driving

expand list...

Psychoanalysis:

Lelouch is a confident individual who leads his team capably. Taking charge from the front, he is rarely ever outside of conflict when his brothers-in-arms are. Unfortunately, his experiences in the Nihon Crisis have left him deeply scarred, imbuing him with a relentless and sometimes self-destructive tendency to keep fighting. Thankfully, he has friends and family to support him. Without them, I fear that he may stray too far. But barring his personal damage, he thinks the world of those precious to him and would place himself in harm's way if they could not defend themselves. Truly, a model student and an exemplary Paladin-aspirant.

Evaluated By,

Ruben K Ashford

* * *

Translations:

"Shit!" = kuso

"Nice to meet you." = enchanté

"My friend" = mon ami

"Is eveyrhting ready?" = Est-ce que tout est prêt?

"Yeah. We are good to go." = Ouais. On est bon d'aller.

* * *

**Wassup? Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Again, a reminder to vote on the poll in my profile if you haven't already. Lmk what you liked or what you disliked. Criticism is welcome! (Just don't be toxic, be courteous) Also flag any glaring grammar or spelling mistake I may have made. **

**Till next time!**


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